Six people were killed when a helicopter tour carrying five families from Spain crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon. Three children were on board.
The crash occurred on the Hoboken side of Hudson around 3:17pm. The five family included two adults and three children, all of whom died in the crash along with the pilot, bringing the total death to six. Around ABC News:.
NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said the helicopter is run by the New York helicopter.
A video shared with Eyewitness News appeared to show that the helicopter fragments fall apart and crash into the water. Officials say the helicopter hit the water that was reversed.
Four of the victims were declared dead at the scene, and two victims were sent to a local hospital where they were declared dead. Their names are withheld as family notices are pending.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) believes the helicopter is a Bell 206 and sets off from the Downtown Manhattan heliport. At this point, the cause of the crash remains unknown.
“I saw it fall from the sky! I heard five or six loud sounds that sounded like gunshots in the sky, and I saw the pieces fall and then I saw it fall into the river,” witness Dani Hobiak said.
“Our hearts go to families and people on board,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
The Spanish consulate in New York City reportedly contacted the local government to gather information about the deceased.
The crash comes after a horrific crash at Washington, DC's Reagan International Airport killed 67 people. On Thursday, a jet plane crashed at that same airport, taxiing an airplane that had parked on the runway when its wings collided.
