The pilot of the tour helicopter that plunged into the New York City's Hudson river reportedly warned that the aircraft had run out of fuel just before the crash killed six on board. Agustín Escobar—head of Siemens' Spanish division—along with his wife and three children, were among the victims, the New York Times reported.
The pilot's identity has not yet been officially confirmed. The accident occurred around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, near the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, just off the southern tip of Manhattan. Emergency services received calls around 3:17 p.m., only 16 minutes after the helicopter had taken off from downtown Manhattan before crashing.
Chilling Message from Pilot
Michael Roth, 71, the owner of New York Helicopter—the company that operated the tour and provided the aircraft—said that the helicopter was in need of fuel. "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive," Roth told The Telegraph.
Roth said that his phone was suddenly flooded with messages, and shortly afterward, one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson River and spotted the helicopter flipped upside down.
"We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
"The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster," Roth added.
Heartbreaking photos captured the family posing on the helipad and seated inside the helicopter shortly before the tragic crash. Law enforcement officials confirmed to the publication that the executive and his family were passengers on the sightseeing tour helicopter.
Hudson River helicopter crash, as an engineer the amount of single points of failure in a helicopter scares the shit out of me.pic.twitter.com/fHyGJ0ZaZb
— ✪ Evil Teð•an ✪ (@vileTexan) April 10, 2025
Escobar's wife was identified as Merce Camprubi Montal, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News. Authorities said the family had only just arrived in New York City from Barcelona earlier that same day.
Escobar brought with him 25 years of global experience, having led operations in various regions including the United States, South America, Spain, and Germany, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He had been serving as the CEO of Siemens Spain since the end of 2022.
When the German multinational corporation announced Escobar's appointment, his predecessor, Miguel Ángel López, praised his contributions, saying Escobar's efforts had been instrumental to Siemens' achievements in the areas of mobility and transportation.
Chilling Experience
Escobar had also been serving as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility since October of last year, according to his profile. Witnesses said that the helicopter carrying Escobar and his family appeared to lose parts of the helicopter as it plunged into the water.
"But you could literally see that the propeller just snapped right off. You can see it snap off, and then it just came straight down," witness Charles McSorley said.
The helicopter was run by New York Helicopter, a local sightseeing company. Flight Radar identified the aircraft as a Bell 206L-4 with the registration number N216MH.
The helicopter was in the air for about 16 minutes before crashing into the water. It departed from the Wall Street Heliport, circled the Statue of Liberty, and then flew up the Hudson River toward the George Washington Bridge at an altitude of roughly 1,000 feet.
The exact cause of the crash remains unclear at this time. Intense video footage captured the moment the helicopter sank, as emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene. By 5:15 p.m., search and rescue operations had seemingly ended, with authorities shifting their focus to recovering debris from the aircraft, according to Fox 5.
At the time of the incident, weather conditions included cloud cover and winds ranging from 10 to 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph, CNN reported.
Visibility was reportedly good at 10 miles, though the area was experiencing cloudy skies and light rain due to an approaching weather system. The water temperature was around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other video clips showed the helicopter moving erratically before the crash, with some parts of the aircraft visibly detaching in midair.
"Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,' Mayor Eric Adams said. 'All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased."
