Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, was enjoying a sightseeing trip in New York City with his family when tragedy struck. Their helicopter, carrying Escobar, his wife, three children, and the pilot, crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon. The crash, which occurred near Jersey City, N.J., just across from Manhattan, resulted in the deaths of all six people on board. Senior law enforcement officials confirmed the devastating outcome, with officials reporting that the family and the pilot did not survive despite being pulled from the helicopter or the icy waters.
Witnesses recalled hearing a loud noise before seeing the helicopter plummet from the sky. Video footage of the incident revealed the aircraft spiraling uncontrollably before crashing into the river at a high speed. The rotor detached mid-air, and the helicopter nose-dived into the water, sending debris scattering toward a nearby boat. The crash occurred around 3:15 p.m., just off the West Village, near a ventilation building above the Holland Tunnel.
The helicopter involved was a Bell 206, operated by New York Helicopter, a company that offers sightseeing tours around the city. The company’s CEO stated that they were unaware of the cause of the crash, and the aircraft was leased from a company in Louisiana. The helicopter had taken off from Downtown Manhattan Heliport, circled near the Statue of Liberty, flew north toward the George Washington Bridge, and was heading back south along New Jersey’s shoreline when it suddenly went down.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, with New York City’s police commissioner, Jessica S. Tisch, stating that authorities are looking into all possible factors. The Coast Guard is working in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Transportation Safety Board to recover the wreckage. While two passengers were initially found alive and pulled from the water, they later succumbed to their injuries.
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