Spanish Tourist Family Among 6 Killed in Tragic NYC Helicopter Crash Over Hudson River

A sightseeing trip turned tragic on Thursday when a helicopter carrying six people—including a Spanish tourist family—crashed into the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey, killing all on board.

• Time of crash: Around 3:00 PM
• Aircraft: Bell 206 helicopter
• Location: Hudson River, near the Holland Tunnel ventilation pier
• Fatalities: All six onboard confirmed dead
• Victims: Included a family visiting from Spain

New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that the victims’ bodies were recovered shortly after the crash. The flight had departed from a downtown heliport just minutes before disaster struck.

Eyewitnesses painted a harrowing picture of the crash:

“It was falling apart in the sky,” said Bruce Wall, who saw the helicopter’s tail and rotor detach midair. “The propeller kept spinning, but it wasn’t attached to anything anymore.”

Across the river in Hoboken, Lesly Camacho was working at a restaurant when she saw the helicopter spinning out of control:

“There was smoke, and it was spinning really fast before hitting the water hard,” she recalled during a phone interview.

Footage shared on social media showed fragments of the chopper splashing down, while the main body of the helicopter flipped and sank. Emergency boats rushed to the scene as the aircraft quickly submerged.

Despite overcast skies, visibility was clear at the time of the crash. Rescue efforts were hampered by the river’s chilling 45-degree temperatures.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206—a widely used model in commercial, news, and government aviation. Originally developed for the U.S. Army, thousands of Bell 206 helicopters have since been adapted for civilian use.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a full investigation into the cause of the crash.

Emergency crews responded swiftly, deploying from a maintenance pier along the New Jersey side near the Holland Tunnel. Fire trucks and flashing emergency vehicles lined the waterfront streets as responders coordinated efforts.

The skies above Manhattan are bustling with aerial activity—between corporate jets, sightseeing flights, and media helicopters. Unfortunately, accidents like this are not unprecedented:

• In 2009, a small plane and tourist helicopter collided over the Hudson, killing nine people.
• In 2018, a chartered helicopter offering “open door” views crashed into the East River, killing five.
• Just this year, a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia claimed seven lives, days after a deadly midair collision in Washington.

These tragic events have intensified concerns over flight safety, particularly with the high volume of recreational and commercial air traffic above New York City.