Witnesses have recounted what they saw and heard the moment a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, claiming the lives of various victims, including children.
A quiet afternoon in Jersey City turned into a scene of chaos and fear when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in front of stunned witnesses.
A view of an ambulance vehicle at the crash site and the helicopter after it crashed into Hudson River near lower Manhattan in New York on April 10, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Dani Horbiak was inside her home when she heard a rapid series of noises that sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air.”
Curious and alarmed, she rushed to her window and saw the helicopter spiraling out of control before it broke apart and plunged into the water. According to Horbiak, the aircraft splashed “in several pieces into the river,” a moment that left her shaken.
Harrowing video shows the split apart helicopter falling upside down into the water.
Bruce Wall
Along the river in Hoboken, Lesly Camacho, a hostess working at a restaurant, also witnessed the horrifying event. She recalled how the helicopter was spinning wildly with “a bunch of smoke coming out,” before it crashed violently into the water.
Mandy Bowlin, a tourist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was aboard a Circle Line sightseeing boat when her peaceful excursion took a terrifying turn. She described hearing a sudden boom behind her and witnessing the helicopter plummeting toward the water.
One of its rotor blades detached midair, and the aircraft nosedived straight into the river. Bowlin recounted seeing debris hurtling in the direction of the boat, intensifying her fear — especially for her daughter, who was with her at the time.
“We’re kind of shook [sic] up,” she admitted, calling the moment deeply unsettling and frightening. Peter Park, a resident of Jersey City, had a similarly jarring experience.
Emergency crew pulling helicopter parts out of the water. | Source: Getty Images
At around 3:15 p.m., he heard what he dubbed “a loud bang” and looked out the window just in time to see the helicopter emitting black smoke. He then saw rotor blades, no longer attached to the aircraft, tumbling down into the river — alarmingly close to the New Jersey shoreline.
Concerned that the falling debris could injure people nearby, Park immediately texted his wife, telling her he believed he had just seen a helicopter crash.
Landing skids float near the crash site of the helicopter in the Hudson River. | Source: Getty Images
He followed up the message by calling 911 to report what he had seen. Another witness, Dominick Cognata, gave his account of the crash during an interview with an NBC New York reporter.
“So, I just happened to be walking, and I heard, like, it sounded like an engine just dying, and I just […] turned, I look, and I saw the helicopter, uhm, crash and splash into the water,” Cognata disclosed.
Dominick Cognata speaking to an NBC News reporter about what he saw and heard concerning the Hudson River helicopter crash, posted on April 11, 2025. | Source: YouTube/NBC New York
Yet another witness, Bruce Wall, shared his observations of the crash with the news outlet. Wall noted how he had been walking when he suddenly saw the tragedy unfold.
“You look up in the sky, and it’s just slowly falling apart, and then you see the tail go, and you just see a flip, propeller still in the sky, just slams into the ground,” Wall divulged, using his hands to mimic the sequence of events.
Witness Bruce Wall recounting what he saw and heard regarding the crash. | Source: YouTube/NBC New York
After a journalist asked whether Wall had seen pieces of the aircraft falling into the river, he confirmed, “Yeah. I have video, yes.” Following the helicopter’s impact with the water, Wall spoke about the aftermath that ensued.
“The plane was turned around, sitting there, in the water, almost like it was floating, and then just a mess of people just came around, started watching, and then the police came,” shared the witness.
The reporter then asked Wall how far he estimated the aircraft to be from the shoreline when it went down, and what he made of the rescue efforts that occurred afterward. Wall gave a rough estimate of about 500 feet before repeating how close the helicopter was to the pier.
Emergency crews pull wreckage and debris out from the Hudson River near lower Manhattan, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Although the witness confirmed he didn’t see any sign or activity of potential survivors trying to evacuate the aircraft, he highlighted the police presence after officials had been alerted of the tragedy.
“I saw activity afterwards, police rushing because I think they got news that they saw someone moving or that there was potential life-saving [sic],” he noted.
After reiterating how he saw the chopper upside down in the water, Wall disclosed, “The rotor was in the air flying while it was falling down. It wasn’t attached.”
Reports covering the crash paint a vivid picture of what happened on Thursday afternoon, April 10, 2025. According to the Associated Press (AP) News, the tragic incident claimed the lives of six people, including the pilot and a family of five visiting from Spain, after the aircraft broke apart midair and plunged upside-down into the Hudson River.
The victims were identified as Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal — a global manager at an energy technology firm — and their three children. The family had boarded the sightseeing helicopter earlier that day for what was meant to be a joyful tour of the Manhattan skyline.
According to photos shared by the helicopter tour company, the family appeared smiling and excited as they prepared for the flight.
Heartbreaking photos emerge of the CEO of the Spanish branch of Siemens and his family posing in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and strapped inside the aircraft moments before it plunged into the Hudson River: https://t.co/F4MiD8ySNhpic.twitter.com/bfz7sE9A5K
The helicopter departed from a downtown heliport at around 3 p.m., and its journey lasted less than 18 minutes. Radar data showed that the aircraft first flew north along the Manhattan skyline before circling back south toward the Statue of Liberty.
Moments later, the helicopter suffered a catastrophic failure. Several videos shared online, including one posted by NBC News, captured the aircraft’s crash.
Footage shows the helicopter breaking apart, with fragments spiraling through the sky before crashing near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey.
New York Helicopter CEO and owner, Michael Roth, expressed deep sorrow and disbelief in the wake of the recent crash involving one of his company’s aircraft. Speaking to The New York Post (The Post), Roth said he is “absolutely devastated” by the tragedy. According to the outlet, he was visibly shaken as he reflected on the fatal incident.
Roth revealed that after reviewing video footage of the crash, he was alarmed to see the main rotor blades completely detached from the helicopter during its descent. This, the CEO said, is something he had never witnessed in his three decades in the industry.
New York Helicopter has long promoted itself as a provider of safe and comfortable sightseeing experiences in New York City.
Details about the cause of the accident are still under investigation, as officials work to determine what went wrong during the brief but fatal flight.
At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to all the loved ones of Escobar, his wife, their children, and the pilot, as they mourn such significant losses. We hope for their healing amid their grief. RIP, dear Escobar and his family, and the helicopter pilot.
