‘It Was Spinning Pretty Fast’: Video Captures Deadly Helicopter Crash Into Hudson River

A helicopter shattered in midair and slammed upside-down into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon, killing all six people on board.

The incident took place just off the skyline between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront, according to The Associated Press. The New York Fire Department confirmed it received the first report of the crash at 3:17 p.m. Witnesses said fragments tore away from the aircraft as it plummeted.

Rescue crews arrived within minutes and searched the waters near a maintenance pier connected to the Holland Tunnel. A law enforcement source confirmed that Siemens executive Agustín Escobar and his family, who were visiting from Spain, were killed in the crash.

Four people died at the scene, while two others were transported to nearby hospitals, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on X that two children were taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead.

Six people were killed Thursday when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan, authorities told ABC News. https://t.co/uZkWVvuDIt pic.twitter.com/Iz92x4aVjj

— ABC News (@ABC) April 10, 2025

Video shows a helicopter plummeting into the Hudson River, falling apart mid-air with blades appearing to fall off. At least 6, including 3 children, are dead.

Live updates: https://t.co/2DRlMe58Zz pic.twitter.com/IT8RMykmU3

— FOX 5 NY (@fox5ny) April 10, 2025

One bystander, Bruce Wall, saw the tail and rotor separate from the fuselage in flight, the propeller spinning violently as the chopper spiraled out of control. Lesly Camacho, who works as a hostess at a riverside restaurant in Hoboken, N.J., also said the helicopter spun wildly out of control before crashing into the water.

“There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard,” Camacho told AP in a phone interview.

The Hudson River, while scenic, has long been a high-risk zone. The crash revives memories of previous tragedies, most notably the 2009 collision of a private plane and a sightseeing helicopter that killed nine, and a 2018 East River plunge that claimed five during a charter flight.

A boat capsized in the Hudson River in 2022, killing a 7-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman. Twelve people were thrown into the water, leaving the boat’s captain in critical condition and injuring several others.  (RELATED: Father Of Co-Pilot Killed In DCA Crash Fights Tears, Finds Comfort Knowing His Son ‘Was Right With Jesus’)

More recently, the U.S. aviation system endured a disturbing streak of fatal crashes. Just in January, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven. Days earlier, an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided in Washington — the deadliest air disaster in the country in decades.

The incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.

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