Posted on 04/11/25
| News Source: FOX45
The victims in a New York sightseeing helicopter crash on Thursday have been identified as a family of five and the pilot.
An executive from German tech company Siemens, his wife, their three young children and the pilot were killed when the helicopter broke apart midair and crashed upside down into the Hudson River, according to officials.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Agustín Escobar, 49, was visiting with his family from Spain.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustín Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones," Siemens said in a statement early Friday.
The identity of the pilot has not been released.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the Bell 206 helicopter with the tour company New York Helicopters took off from a downtown heliport at 2:59 p.m., following a popular sightseeing route.
The helicopter then flew south before turning north to fly along the Manhattan shoreline up the Hudson River, reached the George Washington Bridge and turned again to fly south along the New Jersey shoreline. Shortly thereafter, the helicopter lost control and crashed off the shoreline near a park in Hoboken.
FDNY said they received notice of the crash at 3:17 p.m. near Pier 40 on the New Jersey side of the river.
First responders pulled six people out of the water and pronounced four victims dead at the scene, Tisch said. Two children were transported to Jersey City Medical Center, where they succumbed to their injuries shortly after.
Videos of the crash on social media showed parts of the aircraft tumbling through the air and into the water near the shoreline of Jersey City.