Part of the sightseeing helicopter was removed from the Hudson River, but officials say the recovering of parts and evidence is far from over. Here’s what we know so far about the investigation and the victims killed in Thursday’s helicopter free fall.
This is a developing story. More information on the victims will be provided as it becomes available.
New York authorities have named two of the adult victims who died in Thursday's fatal helicopter crash as Agustín Escobar and Merce Camprubi Montal, a married couple from Spain.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREA spokesperson for City Hall said overnight that they were among the three adults and three children to have died in the accident. The names of the other victims have not yet been formally released.
The cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Escobar was a senior executive with the German technology firm Siemens and was the CEO of rail infrastructure at its Siemens Mobility Division. Previously he was the CEO and president of Siemens Spain, according to a company announcement.
Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, said in a statement on X, translated by the Spanish Embassy in Washington, that the crash was "an unimaginable tragedy."
"Today's news of the helicopter crash on the Hudson River is devastating.
— Embassy of Spain USA (@SpainInTheUSA) April 11, 2025
Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy.
I share the grief of the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking moment." https://t.co/ll4uInTUgX
U.S. & World
The helicopter, one of the tourist flights that take in the sights of Manhattan, took off from the Wall Street heliport at 2:59 p.m. It lost control after it turned at the George Washington Bridge to move along the New Jersey shoreline some time after 3 p.m., officials said.
Video posted to social media showed the helicopters plunging into the river.
An eyewitnesses described seeing the helicopter fall apart as it hit the river.
President Donald Trump called the crash "terrible" in a Truth Social Post Thursday night. "God bless the families and friends of the victims," he said.
Follow this page for the latest updates on the victims as we get them. The latest developments are here.
