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Hudson River helicopter crash kills 6, including Spanish CEO, his family and pilot
By
Liam Quigley
,
Ramsey Khalifeh
,
Giulia Heyward
,
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ben Feuerherd
Published Apr 10, 2025
Modified Apr 11, 2025
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By
Liam Quigley
,
Ramsey Khalifeh
,
Giulia Heyward
,
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ben Feuerherd
Published Apr 10, 2025
Modified Apr 11, 2025
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A tour helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon, killing a family of five visiting from Spain and the pilot, Mayor Eric Adams said.
The chopper operated by New York Helicopter went down at 3:17 p.m., near Houston Street, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The passengers were two parents and three children. The victims were treated in New Jersey. Two of the victims died at a hospital, Tisch said.
The family included Agustin Escobar, global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, said a spokesperson for Germany-based technology conglomerate Siemens. Officials had not publicly identified the pilot as of early Friday morning, and federal transportation authorities were investigating the crash.
Adams said the helicopter had taken off from the Downtown Skyport — formerly the Downtown Manhattan Heliport — just before 3 p.m. The incident prompted some lawmakers to call for an outright ban on non-essential helicopter flights over Manhattan.
Rescue boats are seen in Hoboken, New Jersey, after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, 2025.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Videos posted to social media showed the helicopter suffered a catastrophic failure and fell apart midair, with the rotors separating from the cabin as it plummeted into the water.
“Everyone heard a loud boom,” said Camran Mahmoodi, 21, who witnessed the crash while walking on the Manhattan waterfront.
Mahmoodi said FDNY divers quickly arrived at the scene of the crash closer to the New Jersey side of the river.
“I just heard this boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and then I looked up and it just went into the river,” said Amy Kiplok, another witness walking along the West Side Piers. “And then I thought, was that really a helicopter? Then I called 911.”
First responders in Newport, New Jersey, haul a rescue boat to the scene of the helicopter crash.
Liam Quigley/Gothamist
NYPD Harbor Unit and FDNY Marine boats were at the scene of the crash. At least 20 fire trucks were parked along the waterfront. An NYPD helicopter and police drones hovered overhead.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the crash, confirming all six people aboard were recovered and establishing a 1,000-foot safety zone near the Holland Tunnel ventilator. The agency said it was working with local and federal partners to investigate the cause.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was temporarily halting traffic around the site.
Tourist helicopter flights from the downtown heliport have been a source of noise complaints from local residents for decades. The City Council is considering legislation that would force helicopter tour operators to eventually shift to an electric, less noisy fleet.
Ken Coughlin, a board member of the advocacy group Stop the Chop, said New York City has “incredibly congested skies,” with more than 30,000 sightseeing flights from the Downtown heliport every year.
“This is a recipe for disaster,” Coughlin said. “This is just horrible, our hearts go out to the families of the victims.”
He said his group has raised concerns about the age of sightseeing choppers taking off from the Downtown Skyport and other heliports in the region, though it wasn’t clear what year the helicopter that crashed went into service.
“We’ve raised this as a concern for a long time … Because our understanding is that some of them have been around for 30 or 40 years,” he said.
Firefighters at the scene of a helicopter crash at the Hudson River
Liam Quigley/Gothamist
State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal called the incident “a foreseeable tragedy.”
“Today’s crash is a grim reminder of our worst fears about the dangers of tourist helicopter flights. Tourist choppers are free to operate without sufficient regulation to protect their passengers and New Yorkers on the ground,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. “I will continue to champion a complete ban on non-essential helicopter flights over Manhattan and those originating from City-owned helipads to prevent crashes like this from ever occurring again.”
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the crash. The helicopter was retrieved from the river by the Army Corps of Engineers and a 1,000-foot safety zone was in effect around the crash site, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said "major parts" of the aircraft still had to be recovered, so diving operations would resume Friday morning.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
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new york city
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hudson river
helicopter crash
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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