2 Members Of Family In Tour Helicopter Crash Found Alive In Hudson River Died Later At Hospital

Alessio AtriaApril 11, 2025, 3:28 pmNews >

A Spanish family of five was killed in a helicopter crash that occurred in the Hudson River in New York City.

Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their two daughters, aged four and five, as well as their 11-year-old son, were the victims of the crash, which occurred on Thursday afternoon.

The 36-year-old helicopter pilot was also killed.

Two of the passengers were alive when divers pulled them out of the freezing water. They were declared dead at the hospital, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Agustin Escobar, and his beloved family,” Siemens CEO Roland Busch wrote on X. “Agustin was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Agustin’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. We will miss him and his family immensely.”

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on X that Escobar had been in his city “for a business trip” and that the family flew out to extend the trip a few days in New York City.

The Spanish outlet Antena3 said that the family was on vacation in New York to celebrate the birthday of one of their young daughters.

They arrived from Barcelona, Spain and toured New York on their first day, taking a scenic helicopter ride around the Statue of Liberty and up to the George Washington Bridge.

New York Helicopter, a local tour company, operated the late family’s aircraft. The chopper was a N216MH—a Bell 206L-4.

The helicopter flew for about 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and circled next to the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at nearly 1,000 feet.

New footage of the tragedy shows a rotor blade plummeting into the water. Aviation experts say this may have happened because the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft and cut the tail.

The video also showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

Witnesses said they saw the chopper “split in half” before it went down next to Pier 40, and one man said the aircraft made what sounded like a “sonic boom.”

Emergency responders were seen on Thursday night pulling the remnants of the destroyed helicopter from the Hudson River. Photos revealed a crane pulling mangled clumps of metal out of the river.

“Recovery operations have been secured for the night,” Fulop noted in another X post. “Major parts of the aircraft have not been recovered, so dive operations by the NYPD and NJSP will resume tomorrow morning.”