A Siemens executive, his wife, and their three children were among the six people killed in a tourism helicopter crash into the Hudson River near Manhattan on Thursday, a Siemens spokesperson said.
Agustin Escobar had been CEO of the company’s rail infrastructure unit since October 2024 and was previously CEO of Siemens Spain, per his LinkedIn profile.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,” a Siemens spokesperson said on Friday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told a press conference on Thursday night that four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two were taken to the hospital where they later died. The other victim was the helicopter’s pilot.
Authorities responded to initial calls at 3:17 p.m. ET, an NYPD spokesperson told Business Insider.
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The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter involved was a Bell 206, and that the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation.
The NTSB said on X that it was “launching a go-team” to investigate the crash.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show the helicopter’s rotor disconnected from the rest of the aircraft, spinning mid-air as the cabin plunged into the water.
Seth Wenig/AP
Officials said that it appeared the helicopter, which was operated by New York Helicopters Tour Company, had lost control.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Calls to the helicopter’s registered owner, a Louisiana firm, were unanswered.
Jersey City’s mayor said on X the main body of the aircraft had been recovered from the river and moved to an Army Corps of Engineers facility.
Other parts of the aircraft were still missing, so dive operations would resume on Friday morning, wrote Steven Fulop.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X that she joined “all New Yorkers in praying for those we’ve lost and their families.”
In an earlier statement on X, Adams called the crash “heartbreaking and tragic” and people to avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan.
A recent spate of plane crashes has raised awareness of aviation safety.
The Hudson River sees heavy helicopter traffic between airports and tourist flights over landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty. Pilots are required to use specific corridors.
In 2018, five people died after a helicopter made an emergency landing in the East River and flipped upside down, trapping the passengers inside.
The following year a helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a skyscraper, killing the pilot.
