Tourists from Spain, pilot killed in helicopter free fall over Hudson River

The mayor of Jersey City says recovery operations have ended for the night.

In a post on X, Mayor Steven Fulop says "major parts" of the helicopter remain in the Hudson River and dive operations would resume on Friday morning.

Follow up on the tragic helicopter crash: Recovery operations have been secured for the night. Major parts of the aircraft have not been recovered so dive operations by the NYPD and NJSP will resume tomorrow morning. The pier is being secured by PA. The main body of the aircraft… https://t.co/p0e7Iycn95

— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) April 11, 2025

Hours after the sightseeing flight above the Hudson River turned to tragedy, crews pulled the wreckage of the helicopter out of the water as the next stages of the investigation get underway. 

Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, shared a statement on X, where he called today's crash an "unimaginable tragedy." His post, translated to English, reads:

The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating.

Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy.

I sympathize with the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time.

Las noticias que hoy nos llegan del accidente de helicóptero en el río Hudson son devastadoras.

Cinco españoles de una misma familia, tres de ellos niños, y el piloto han perdido la vida. Una tragedia inimaginable.

Acompaño en el dolor a los allegados de las víctimas en este…

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 10, 2025

Associated Press photographers Ted Shaffrey and Seth Wenig snapped several photos of helicopter debris from the Bell 206 aircraft, floating at the crash site.

The flight was operated by New York Helicopters, officials said. No one answered the phones at the company’s offices in New York and New Jersey.

A person who answered the phone at the home of the company’s owner, Michael Roth, declined to comment. However 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.”

Coast Guard, local agencies, responding to helicopter crash in Hudson River

The Coast Guard says it is coordinating with local, state and federal agencies in response to today's helicopter crash near the Holland tunnel.

It confirmed its crews responded to a witness report at about 3:15 p.m. reporting a downed helicopter in the Hudson River in New York City. Response boat crews from Coast Guard stations New York, Sandy Hook and Kings Point, and Cutter Bonito were deployed to the incident.

The Coast Guard is working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Transportation Safety Board to salvage the helicopter, officials say. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

The NTSB has launched its "go-team," according to a statement released on social media. The team was expected to arrive sometime Thursday night to investigate the crash of the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter.

The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Thursday’s crash of a Bell 206 L-4 helicopter near Jersey City, New Jersey.

Chairman Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene. The team is expected to arrive tonight.

— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 10, 2025

There were winds of 9 to 12 mph coming from the south and southeast, with occasional gusts up to 21 mph, around the time of today’s helicopter crash, according to a weather station.

Visibility was good, up to 10 miles, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration was reporting at the time of the flight and crash.

There had been light rain in the area, but not at the time of the flight or crash.

The cloud ceiling was 7,000 feet, the weather station reported.

The sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River this afternoon took off from the Wall Street heliport at 2:59 p.m. It then traveled along the southern part of Manhattan and circled the Statue of Liberty before it flew up the western side of Manhattan.

At that point, it turned around near the George Washington Bridge, turned south along the New Jersey shoreline, and experienced a catastrophic breakup after 3 p.m.

Divers with NYPD and FDNY have recovered all six people who were on board the helicopter, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they "succumbed to their injuries," Tisch said.

"Names are being withheld at this time, pending family notification," she added.

The helicopter lost control shortly after turning at the George Washington Bridge to move along the New Jersey shoreline, the commissioner said.

The helicopter crash site is in the Hudson River off the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City near the Holland Tunnel.

People in nearby apartments tell News 4 they heard a loud thud and said they are certain they saw something hit the helicopter, but that's it unclear if whatever they saw was a part of the tail rotor hitting it.

A business executive and his relatives were among the people aboard a tourist helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River near Pier 40 this afternoon, multiple law enforcement sources say. The family was from Spain.

Sources said the chopper was apparently taking them on a tour of the sights, including around the Statue of Liberty, when something went wrong. At least five people are dead.

The NTSB is investigating.

Today's deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River tragically wasn't the first of its kind. Below is a timeline of crashes originating from the New York side, with details from the NTSB and other reports:

• May 15, 2019: A Bell 206 L4 helicopter, N26BB, operated by Zip Aviation, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to the Hudson River while maneuvering for landing at the West 30th Street Heliport (JRA). The commercial pilot was not injured.

• June 30, 2013: A Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, N405MR, operated by New York City Helicopter Charter, Inc., incurred minor damage after an engine failure and subsequent forced landing to the Hudson River. The pilot and four passengers were not injured.

• Aug. 7, 2009: Nine people died when the private plane carrying three people and a sightseeing helicopter carrying five Italian tourists and one pilot smashed into one another a low-altitude collision over the Hudson River. 

• July 7, 2007: The helicopter was being operated on a revenue sightseeing flight when the accident occurred. Approximately 8 minutes into the flight, about 350-400 feet above the Hudson River while on an approach to land, a 20-inch section of the composite main rotor blade trailing portion, aft of the spar, fractured from the rest of the blade. The pilot reported an immediate decay in main rotor speed with a prominent and abnormal vibration. She also saw a piece of debris, most likely the liberated piece from the main rotor blade, fly from the left rear of the helicopter forward, past the cabin. She made an emergency autorotation onto the water after activating the emergency float system. The helicopter landed upright on its floats; however, the main rotor blades struck the water and the tail boom, resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom. The occupants were rescued by boaters and were not injured.

Vessels in the Hudson River will be unable to travel through the area of the Hudson River where the crash happened.

According to the New York City emergency management department, "the US Coast Guard has established a safety zone on all navigable waters of the Hudson River one mile north and one mile south of the Holland Tunnel Ventilators."

Boaters are urged to find an alternate route until further notice.

The flight path of the helicopter took it from the downtown Manhattan heliport over the Hudson River north along the Manhattan side before it came back down the New Jersey side, crashing approximately 15 minutes after takeoff, according to FlightAware data.

Witness Bruce Wall said he saw the helicopter “falling apart” in midair, with the tail and propeller coming off. The propeller was still spinning without the aircraft as it fell, he said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to talk to the media about the latest developments in today's deadly Hudson River helicopter crash around 5:15 p.m. ET. You'll be able to watch it live here.

At least five people are dead.

The skies over Manhattan are routinely filled with both planes and helicopters, both private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights. Manhattan has several helipads that whisk business executives and others to destinations throughout the metropolitan area.

Over the years, there have been multiple crashes, including a collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River in 2009 that killed nine people and the 2018 crash of a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights that went down into the East River, killing five people.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he has been briefed on the deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River and he has teams assisting in the emergency response.

The cause isn't clear. Witnesses describe seeing something "catastrophic" that may have happened with the tail of the helicopter before the crash. NYC Mayor Eric Adams is expected to address the crash soon.

I have been briefed by law enforcement on the tragic helicopter crash in the Hudson River close to New Jersey.
⁰We are supporting the emergency response effort through the @NJSP, @PANYNJ, and local first responders.

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 10, 2025

First responders could be seen attending to the crash site of the submerged helicopter.

The number of casualties in the Hudson River chopper crash is rising.

A sixth body was pulled from the water shortly before 5 p.m. today, a senior rescue official said.

Earlier, five people were pulled from the water -- a pilot, man, woman and two children. Authorities had said at least four of them died at the scene and life-saving efforts were underway on the fifth at a hospital.

Three law enforcement sources say the helicopter is believed to have been a tour charter flying along the Hudson at the time of the crash. A cause is under investigation.

The team is on the scene at the heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River.@FDNY and @NYPDnews are assisting first responders closer to the New Jersey side of the river. Please avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan in the meantime. pic.twitter.com/JxmMmhq6xH

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 10, 2025

The Hudson River helicopter crash is just the latest deadly aviation incident in the United States this year.

Devastated to learn about the deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River. My heart is with all of the victims & their families.

Aviation accidents are becoming far too common.

As we continue to learn more, I am grateful for all of the first responders at this tragic scene.

— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) April 10, 2025

A pilot, two adults and two children were aboard the helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River near Pier 40 this afternoon, multiple law enforcement sources say. There were four confirmed deaths as of 4:30 p.m.

Authorities are looking into whether a sixth person may have been aboard.

A secondary search was underway, meaning authorities were looking for other potential victims.

A spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration shared the following statement:

"A Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River in New York City. The number of people on board is unknown at this time. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide any updates."

Officials say multiple people are dead in the Hudson River chopper crash today, according to sources.

At least five people, including three children, were aboard the helicopter that went down closer to the Jersey City side of the river. Two of the three kids were said to be taken to hospitals in critical condition.

There was no immediate word on the other occupants.

Multiple law enforcement sources now say at least five people were aboard the chopper that went down in the Hudson. Two of them are believed to be adults, a man and a woman, and three are said to be children.

Officials stress this information is preliminary. They say they were getting 911 calls from both sides of the river.

The NYPD published a post on X at 3:37 p.m. confirming reports of a crash in the Hudson River.

Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas. pic.twitter.com/zpCBAOLnUU

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 10, 2025