By Jesse Zanger
Six people died when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon.
The incident happened at around 3:17 p.m. near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft in Jersey City, not far from River Drive South and Newport Parkway, near the Water’s Soul sculpture.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said three adults and three children were killed, including a family of five from Spain and the pilot. Their bodies have been recovered, he said.
“Our hearts go out to the family of those who were on board and all six who were on board of the helicopter,” Adams said.
Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife and their three children were on board, the German industrial conglomerate confirmed in a statement Friday. CBS New York learned that the children were 4-, 5- and 11-years old.
Emergency responders were gathering on both sides of the river. On the Manhattan side, the NYPD was mobilizing on the West Side Highway and Spring Street.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump wrote, “Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. 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. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!”
The deadly flight
The helicopter involved was a Bell 206, according to the FAA. It was with the tour company New York Helicopters, Tisch said. It took off from Lower Manhattan at around 3 p.m., Adams said.
A source familiar with the investigation confirmed the helicopter was owned by a company called Meridian Helicopters out of Louisiana. That company describes itself as a helicopter brokerage; they sell, lease and refurbish helicopters.
After takeoff, the helicopter apparently flew over Governor’s Island and then near the Statue of Liberty before heading up the Hudson River along Manhattan’s West Side before turning around just past the George Washington Bridge and flying back down along the Jersey side of the river before coming down near Jersey City.
“Here you have visitors who were here just to see a picturesque and a legendary skyline. And unfortunately we lost five family members and a pilot to an incident,” Adams said. “Again, our heart goes out to the family members.”
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy on the Hudson River earlier today involving New York Helicopter, a company who operates out of our facility. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all those impacted by this horrible incident. We are cooperating with all of the appropriate agencies and thank all of the first responders for their efforts,” said a spokesman for Skyports, one of the firms that manage the heliport.
Flight path records show for at least the last week, the helicopter has traveled to and from airports and heliports in our area, with multiple flights per day. It often flies from one Manhattan heliport to another, or from JFK to Newark, or from those airports to heliports.
New York Helicopter CEO Michael Roth told CBS News New York investigators have not told him anything about the cause of the crash.
“I don’t know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated. My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon,” he said. “We’re a small company. I’m a father and a grandfather, and we’re just devastated. We have no clue what happened.”
When asked, Roth declined to discuss how often the helicopter was inspected or how recently, saying, “We follow all the rules and more.”
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. The Coast Guard has established a safety zone in the Hudson River, stopping vessel traffic a mile north and south of the river, which is impacting ferry service.
The water was about 50 degrees at the time of the crash. The skies were overcast with visibility of about 10 miles, and wind gusts of up to 21 miles per hour.
Witnesses describe the crash
Witnesses described helicopter parts coming apart in mid-air before plummeting down into the water. Debris could be seen flying from the helicopter as it plunged into the river. Tisch said officials believe the helicopter hit the water inverted.
“The helicopter was a little bit like nose down, slightly, and I saw the propeller separating from the helicopter. It kept spinning in the air alone. Nothing was attached to it,” witness Sarah Jane Raymond Ryer said.
“It sounded honestly like an engine came out. I looked outside my window. I saw a few people running towards the water, and some people were acting pretty normal. So I was like oh, it might not be anything. Then I started to hear all the sirens come outside,” Jersey City resident Jenn Lynk said.
“I heard, like, such a loud sound. It felt like thunder. And because it was raining today, it was just like, OK, maybe. And then I saw, like, black particles flying. Again, I thought maybe it’s just like, dust, or birds, and then we heard all the emergency vehicles and sirens go by, and I think that’s when it was like, OK, what’s happening,” Jersey City resident Ipsitaa Banigrhi said.
Video appeared to show flotation devices on the helicopter’s landing gear in the water. The fuselage of the helicopter was not visible. The helicopter’s tail was also not visible.
“Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That’s very obvious. Booms and noises like that indicate some sort of mechanical issue,” CBS News New York’s Dan Rice said. Rice, who reports from Chopper 2, frequently flies in the same model helicopter. “There’s one video in particular where you see the main component of the helicopter, the fuselage, upside down. And what struck me, what scared me, is the main rotor system was gone. There’s no main rotor on the helicopter. And the tail boom was also gone, and it’s just a vessel at that point with no direction.”
Rice said the tail rotor is what keeps the helicopter from spinning out of control.
“I can’t imagine what happened there that could’ve led to that. We’ll wait for the investigation to give us those details, but from what I’ve seen, separation of the blades is what caused this chopper to go down. What led to the separation is what we have to find out,” Rice said.
The main body of the aircraft was recovered from the river Thursday evening, but authorities say dive operations will resume Friday for other major parts.
Prior crashes on New York City’s rivers
In 2019, a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River shortly after refueling. The pilot was the only person on board at the time and suffered minor injuries.
In March 2018, five people were killed when their charter helicopter went down in the East River. The pilot survived. It was an open door flight, and that crash led to legislation and an eventual ban on open-door helicopter flights in the city.
In 2016, a vintage plane went down during a celebration for the American Airpower Museum. The pilot was killed.
The most well-known crash was the “Miracle on the Hudson” in January 2009 when a plane struck birds shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger managed to land the plane on the river, saving the lives of 155 passengers and crew members.