A CEO at German technology company Siemens, his wife, and three children were the passengers killed when a tourist helicopter plunged into the Hudson River near Jersey City, according to a report.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children, ages 4,5, and 11, died in the crash along with the 36-year-old pilot, ABC news reported, citing law enforcement sources.
BREAKING: Six dead in NYC helicopter crash in Hudson River — AP🚨🇺🇸
— Global Dissident (@GlobalDiss) April 10, 2025
Witnesses report the chopper was heading to New Jersey when a blade flew off, sending it plummeting near the Holland Tunnel. Passengers included both children and adults. pic.twitter.com/k4TEEIfEZq
Helicopter disintegrated in flight and crashed into the Hudson River in New York City.
— Moni đź’• (@MoniFunGirl) April 10, 2025
Reportedly all on board are deceased including three children. 🥺pic.twitter.com/lBY306q50f
The pilot, who was also killed, was not identified in the report.
Escobar was the CEO of Siemens divisions in Spain before being named to the global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens headquarters in Germany last fall, his LinkedIn page says.
“We are in touch with an executive from Siemens who is flying in tonight,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said. “We will liaise with him and help the families with the necessary steps to bring their loved ones home.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a Thursday afternoon press conference that the six victims included members of a family that was visiting from Spain.
The family was on a chopper operated by New York Helicopter Tours, whose CEO, Michael Roth, told reporters later Thursday: “I’m a father and a grandfather, and to have children there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.”
Footage posted on social media sites showed the helicopter in pieces as it fell into the water, with the main body of the craft falling uncontrolled and landing upside down.
Divers recovered all six people who were aboard the flight, and four were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
The two others, both juveniles, died shortly thereafter at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Fulop said.
The mayor said that as of 9:30 p.m., major parts of the aircraft had not been recovered and that dive operations by the NYPD and New Jersey State Police would resume Friday morning.
However, the main body of the helicopter was recovered and is in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility on Chapel Avenue in Jersey City, Fulop added.
Tragedy strikes a family from Spain
Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account. In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain. In a post about the position, he thanked his family: “my endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love ... and patience.”
Escobar regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often traveled internationally for work, including journeying from India to the UK in the past month. He was also vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain since 2023.
CamprubĂ Montal worked in Barcelona, Spain, for energy technology company Siemens Energy for about seven years as its global commercialization manager, according to her LinkedIn account.
What may have caused the crash
Video of the crash suggested that a “catastrophic mechanical failure” left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter, said Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps.
It is possible the helicopter’s main rotors struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free-fall, Green said.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,” Green said. “There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.” waters.
The skies over Manhattan are routinely filled with planes and helicopters, both private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights. Manhattan has several helipads from which business executives and others are whisked to destinations throughout the metropolitan area.
At least 38 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977. A collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson in 2009 killed nine people, and five died in 2018 when a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights went down into the East River.
New York Helicopters also owned a Bell 206 that lost power and made an emergency landing on the Hudson during a sightseeing tour in June 2013. The pilot managed to land safely, and he and the passengers — a family of four Swedes — were uninjured. The National Transportation Safety Board found that a maintenance flub and an engine lubrication anomaly led to the power cutoff.
Thursday’s crash was the first for a helicopter in the city since one hit the roof of a skyscraper in 2019, killing the pilot.
The accidents — and the noise caused by helicopters — have repeatedly led some community activists and officials to propose banning or restricting traffic at Manhattan heliports.
Other recent crashes and close calls have already left some people worried about the safety of flying in the U.S.
Seven people were killed when a medical transport plane plummeted into a Philadelphia neighborhood in January. That happened two days after an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair in Washington in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation.
#BREAKING #USA #NEWYORK #NY
— LW World News 🌏 (@LoveWorld_Peopl) April 10, 2025
Did you notice this👇
đź”´ NEW YORK :đź“ąMOMENT OF CRASH VIDEO SHOWS NO ROTORS, NO TAIL ON CHOPPER
On board, there was the pilot and a Family from Spain -2 adults and 3 KIDS-, who were visiting U.S, taking a tour of New York City.
All died.
-AP pic.twitter.com/E4jQSUSVVC
