Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, aged four, five and 11, were killed in the crash, along with the 36-year-old pilot.
Heartbreaking photos showed the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
The family had arrived in the Big Apple from Barcelona earlier in the day, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
The pilot of the helicopter warned that they were out of fuel just before the tragedy that killed all six on board.
The terrifying crash took place at around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan.
Witnesses said they saw the chopper ‘split in half’ before it went down near Pier 40, with one man reporting the stricken aircraft making what sounded like a ‘sonic boom.’
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH – a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
It is also too early to say what may have caused the crash. Dramatic video showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Michael Roth, 71, who owns New York Helicopter which provided the tour and the chopper, said that the aircraft was out of fuel just minutes into their trip.
‘He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,’ Roth told The Telegraph.
Roth said that he started to get a ton of phone messages before one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson ‘and saw the helicopter upside down.’
‘We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
‘The death of the child, of any human being, is a monumental disaster,’ Roth added.
Emergency responders were seen late Thursday night pulling the remnants of the destroyed helicopter from the murky water of the Hudson River. Photos showed a crane pulling mangled clumps of metal out of the river.
Jersey City Mayor Steven explained in a post on X that major parts of the aircraft have not yet been recovered, so dive teams will scour the Hudson River for the parts on Friday.
‘Recovery operations have been secured for the night. Major parts of the aircraft have not been recovered so dive operations by the NYPD and NJSP will resume tomorrow morning,’ he said.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they ‘succumbed to their injuries,’ NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain.
He also held various positions in Spain between 1998 and 2010, primarily in the energy sector. Additionally, Escobar served as the vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain.
At the time of the crash, it was cloudy with winds around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, CNN reported.
Surface visibility was considered good — 10 miles — but it was cloudy as a system is moving into the region, bringing light rain to the region this afternoon and evening. The water was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other footage showed the chopper ‘flying erratically’ just before it fell into the water, while other clips showed pieces of the aircraft were seen flying off.
‘Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,’ Mayor Eric Adams said. ‘All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.’
Rashmi Kamkeri, a 30-year-old engineer, was working remotely from her apartment in Newport Park when she heard a deafening crash about 3:19 p.m. on Thursday.
