Augustin Escobar, the President and CEO of Siemens Spain, along with his wife and three children, aged 11, five, and four years old, were identified as the fatalities from a helicopter crashing into New York's Hudson River on Thursday.
The helicopter crashed near Pier 40, located in New York City's Manhattan facing towards Jersey City on Thursday, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed.
The New York Fire Department (FDNY) received a report of a helicopter in the water at 3:17 p.m. local time, local media reported.
The pilot also died in the crash. There were six people on board the helicopter, and no survivors.
Watch as @NYPDPC, @FDNYFC, and @NYCMayor brief the media regarding a helicopter crash in the Hudson River. https://t.co/k1LD1uMl28
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 10, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clarified that the helicopter involved was a Bell 206, which fully submerged into the river.
Most variations of the Bell 206 have capacity for a pilot and five passengers.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
FAA StatementThis information is preliminary and subject to change.A Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River in New York City. The number of people on board is unknown at this time. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will…
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) April 10, 2025
Politicians react
New York City Mayor, Eric Adams posted a picture of first responders on his official X/Twitter, and stated that "The team is on the scene at the heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River."
Adams also called on locals to "avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan in the meantime."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote that she had been "briefed on this horrific crash, and our teams have offered to assist NYPD and FDNY in their recovery efforts."
"I join all New Yorkers in praying for those we've lost and their families," she added.
Witness testimony
An individual who witnessed the crash said he saw one of the helicopter's blades fly off, according to NBC News. Avi Rakesh said he saw the helicopter going south toward New Jersey when "the chopper blade flew off."
"I don't know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped," Rakesh told NBC News. "It dropped feet away from Holland Tunnel, and I can't imagine if it hit it," Rakesh added.
"I was walking by and the helicopter went down at 45-degree angle," Eric Campoverde told ABC News. "Big splash -- it was very scary."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is gathering information on the Hudson helicopter crash, NBC News reported.