Six people have died in a horrific helicopter crash in New York, including Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, and their three children. New York Helicopters piloted the aircraft, which took off Thursday at 3 p.m. from Lower Manhattan. Within fifteen minutes, it plummeted into the Hudson River.

Numerous bystanders watched a terrifying spectacle in Lower Manhattan on Thursday as what should have been a regular helicopter ride devolved into a nightmare.

Nobody anticipated seeing a helicopter spiral out of control in a city where buzzing helicopters are a common sight. However, it is precisely what took place. The chopper broke apart in midair, according to shocked onlookers, and then crashed into the Hudson River close to Pier 40. According to one, they witnessed the tourist helicopter “split in half” before collapsing close to Pier 40, describing a terrifying image.

According to one man, the fatal airplane emitted a sound that resembled a “sonic boom.” The helicopter was slightly nose down, and I could see the propeller coming away from the aircraft. It continued to spin by itself. Sarah Jane Raymond Ryer, a witness, told CBS that there was nothing connected to it.

Before the catastrophe occurred, the plane, which was flown by the nearby tour operator New York Helicopter, had been in the air for fifteen minutes. Videos posted on social media show the chopper plummeting without its rotors and then capsized in the lake. Four persons were rescued from the collision scene by NYPD divers, and two more were recovered by FDNY divers.

Both the nearby dock and the vessels on the scene underwent immediate life-saving procedures. Four victims were declared dead at the site, and two more were taken to nearby hospitals, where they tragically both passed away from their wounds, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Later on, it was discovered that the occupants of the helicopter were a Spanish family on vacation. They included Siemens high-ranking official Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children, aged four, five, and eleven, according to ABC News.

According to a press release from the technology company, Escobar was named an executive for Siemens’ division in Spain and Southwest Europe in 2022. Escobar’s accomplishments were commended in the statement by Miguel Ángel López, the previous CEO of Siemens’ Spanish branch, who emphasized that Escobar’s work was “key” to the company’s success.

We have the most qualified replacement to run the business in Spain going forward in Agustín Escobar. His efforts have been crucial to Siemens’ success in the transportation and mobility sector in recent years, according to López. New York Helicopters took pictures of the family inside and outside the chopper prior to takeoff.

The family can be seen grinning, giving each other hugs, and giving the thumbs up in the pictures. They are also carrying folded yellow life vests and wearing ear protection.

Following the crash, the pictures were first accessible on the business’s website, but they have since been taken down. No one has yet to be identified as the pilot of the New York Helicopters-chartered chopper. The family had just arrived in New York City from Barcelona earlier that day, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to the New York Post.

This made what should have been the start of an idyllic holiday into an unthinkable horror. He always maintained his composure and composure no matter how difficult things became. Juan Ignacio Diaz, who once worked with Escobar, told the New York Post Thursday night that Escobar had a way of making things feel OK even when they weren’t.

“And he never lost sight of what was most important: his family.”

The cause of the crash cannot yet be determined, according to investigators. Shortly after takeoff, the helicopter seemed to be running low on fuel, according to Michael Roth, 71, owner of New York Helicopter, the firm that supplied the aircraft and the trip. “It should have taken him around three minutes to arrive after he [the pilot] called in to say he was landing and that he needed fuel, but he didn’t show up twenty minutes later,” Roth told The Telegraph.

Additionally, Roth claimed that before one of his other pilots flew over the river and seen the tragic scene—”the helicopter upside down”—he started getting a barrage of messages.

“I have no idea how this happened.” All I can say is that we are devastated. Since this afternoon, my wife has not stopped crying,” he remarked. We are a tiny business. As a grandfather and father, we are simply heartbroken. In a different interview with CBS, Roth stated, “We don’t know what happened.”

Ferry services were disrupted when the Coast Guard established a safety zone in the Hudson River, stopping vessel travel for a mile north and south of the disaster site. The water was about fifty degrees when the collision occurred. With visibility of only ten miles and cloudy sky, wind gusts of up to twenty-one miles per hour were possible. Jenn Lynk, a Jersey City resident, explained the first misunderstanding by saying, “It honestly sounded like an engine came out.” I peered out my window.

Some of the people I saw were acting quite normally, while others were sprinting for the water. Oh, it might not be anything, I thought. Then all of the sirens began to sound outside.

Ipsitaa Banigrhi, another Jersey City resident, remembered the terrifying incident: “I heard, like, such a loud sound.” It was like thunder. And it was simply like, “Okay, maybe,” because it was pouring today. Then I noticed what appeared to be flying black particles. Once more, I assumed it might just be dust or birds, but then we heard all the emergency vehicles and sirens pass by, and I believe that’s when I realized what was going on. The tragedy is very heartbreaking. My sincere sympathies are with all the families, and may they rest in peace.