An executive of European technology firm Siemens, his wife, and their three young kids have been identified as the victims who died Thursday when a tourist helicopter plunged into the Hudson River off Manhattan.
Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children aged 4, 5, and 11 were all on board he aircraft during the harrowing crash, law enforcement sources told ABC News. A sixth victim, whose name has not yet been released, was identified as the 36-year-old pilot of the helicopter.
The family came to New York City from Barcelona, Spain. They were staying at the Hotel Riu Plaza, the Daily Beast has learned.
Escobar was named CEO of Siemens Spain in November 2022. He had been with the company for nearly three decades.
“With Agustin Escobar, we have the best possible successor to lead, from now on, the company in Spain,” Escobar’s predecessor Miguel Angel Lopez said in a statement at the time. “In recent years, his work has been key to Siemens’ success in the field of mobility and transport.”
In a press conference late Thursday afternoon, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a Bell 206 helicopter flying for New York Helicopter Tours departed from the downtown Manhattan heliport at 2:59 p.m. ET.
About 15 minutes later, multiple callers reported a helicopter crash to 911, authorities said. Chilling footage showed the aircraft break apart and plummet into the Hudson River in seconds, landing upside down.
Divers arrived near Pier 40 in Manhattan within minutes and took immediate lifesaving measures, but four people died on the scene while two others succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the helicopter was flying in the Special Flight Rules Area, meaning there were no air traffic control services when it crashed.
“Several minutes prior to entering the Special Flight Rules Area, Air Traffic Control from LaGuardia airport was providing support,” he wrote in a post on X. “The FAA will have investigators on site tonight and we are also launching a Safety Review Team later tonight.”
We pray for the victims and their families. Here’s what we know:The tour helicopter was in the Special Flight Rules Area established in New York which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed. Several minutes prior to entering the… https://t.co/aQ4vsREOOJ
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 11, 2025
New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth told the New York Post he was “devastated” by the tragedy.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, [is] that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” he said. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess—I got no clue—is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”
President Donald Trump also mourned the “terrible” crash in a Truth Social post.
“The footage of the accident is horrendous,” he wrote. “God bless the families and friends of the victims.”
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