A helicopter crashed in New York City’s Hudson River near lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, killing six people, including an executive of European tech company Siemens.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11, died, as well as a pilot, who has yet to be named.
New York City Fire Department officials told the Washington Examiner they received a distress call at 3:17 p.m. The helicopter crashed close to the Jersey City, New Jersey, side of the river, they confirmed. Authorities are still investigating what led to the crash.
The aircraft appeared to be a 2004 Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV with registration number N216MH, according to publicly available flight data. The registration number matches a listing under Meridian Helicopters, a Louisiana-based company.
Flight records show the aircraft last took off at 2:59 p.m. and landed at 3:15 p.m., two minutes before the emergency call. The aircraft’s last four flight paths were similar, taking off from a spot in lower Manhattan before tracing the western edge of the borough then turning and lining the neighboring New Jersey coast.
BREAKING: Six people have died in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River in New York City — AP pic.twitter.com/yIdr9vYVkb
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 10, 2025
Mayor Eric Adams showed up at the crash site, calling it a “heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River.” He advised residents to “avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan in the meantime.”
The team is on the scene at the heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River.@FDNY and @NYPDnews are assisting first responders closer to the New Jersey side of the river. Please avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan in the meantime. pic.twitter.com/JxmMmhq6xH
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 10, 2025
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President Donald Trump called the crash “terrible” in a social media post.
“The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it,” he said. “Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are en route and that he’s “praying for all those impacted and for our brave first responders on the scene. We have to fight for safety in the air.”
