NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Six people, including three children, were killed Thursday when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River and sparked a massive emergency response in the waters between Lower Manhattan and New Jersey.
The helicopter, with the tour company New York Helicopters, was carrying a pilot and family of five from Spain, authorities said at a press conference Thursday evening. Their identities are being withheld pending family notification.
All six victims were pulled from the water by divers with the FDNY and NYPD. Four were announced dead at the scene, while two—including at least one child—were taken to the Jersey side, where responders performed CPR. They were transported to area hospitals, where they succumbed to their injuries.
The helicopter took off from the downtown skyport in Lower Manhattan at 2:59 p.m. and traveled north along the Manhattan shore before turning south near the George Washington Bridge, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. It then lost control above the river near Pier A Park in Hoboken and came crashing down.
The helicopter was spinning uncontrollably with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before it slammed into the water, said Lesly Camacho, a hostess at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken.
New York City agencies began getting calls about the crash at 3:17 p.m. Emergency responders worked through rough weather conditions, including light rain, choppy waters and heavy wind.
A large staging area was set up off Pier 40 in Manhattan to aid in the operations, and numerous emergency vessels were in the water. Dozens of emergency responders from New York, New Jersey, Port Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard were active on both shores.
The Coast Guard established a safety zone on all navigable waters of the Hudson River one mile north and one mile south of the Holland Tunnel ventilators. No vessels are allowed to pass through the zone.
President Donald Trump reacted to the crash on Truth Social, writing, "Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!"
Gov. Kathy Hochul also released a statement, saying, "I have been briefed on this horrific crash, and our teams have offered to assist NYPD and FDNY in their recovery efforts. I join all New Yorkers in praying for those we've lost and their families."
"We thank all the first responders at the scene, especially our partners from New Jersey and the Port Authority," Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X. "They acted quickly and bravely, doing everything they could to help. The loved ones of all the victims are in our city's thoughts and prayers tonight."
Videos posted on social media showed the helicopter mostly submerged, upside-down in the water with its skids visible. A witness on the New York side of the river said the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle and in seconds was completely submerged in the water.
Just after 5 p.m. the helicopter was near an NYPD boat on the New Jersey side of the river. It is unclear if it drifted or was dragged toward the emergency vessel, but agency boats with large hooks arrived soon after to eventually pull the aircraft from the water.
Debris from the helicopter was seen floating in the water near Jersey City. The debris included a door, a seat and safety pamphlets on the use of flotation devices and seatbelts. Children's sneakers also floated by.
The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a go-team to investigate the crash. Chairman Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene and the team is expected to arrive Thursday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies, TV news stations and police.
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.
A person who answered the phone at the home of the company’s owner, Michael Roth, declined to comment. Roth told the New York Post he was devastated and had “no clue” why the crash happened.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” the Post quoted him as saying. He added that he had not seen such a thing happen during his 30 years in the helicopter business, but noted: “These are machines, and they break.”
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.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.