Six people died when a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River, at roughly 3:15 PM this afternoon. Two adults and three children — all believed to be members of a family of Spanish tourists — were pulled from the helicopter or from the frigid river and taken to hospitals in New Jersey, but none survived, officials briefed on the crash said. A sixth person, believed to be the pilot, was also killed.
The helicopter, a Bell 206, took off from Lower Manhattan and flew near the Statue of Liberty before heading up the Hudson River, turning around just past the George Washington Bridge and flying back down along the Jersey side of the river. The helicopter came down near Jersey City, not far from the Water’s Soul sculpture.
The helicopter apparently came apart in mid-air and came plummeting down. Video of the crash shows the helicopter tumbling end over end and hitting the water at a high speed.
The New York Times reports that one witness, Mandy Bowlin, said she was on a Circle Line tour boat, heard a boom behind her, and saw the helicopter plummeting. Its rotor flew off and the craft nose-dived into the water, sending debris flying toward the boat.
Multiple rescue boats responded to the crash. The Coast Guard said it has stopped vessel traffic in the area and established a safety zone.
At least 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977 — most recently in 2019 when a helicopter used for executive travel hit the roof of Manhattan skyscraper in restricted airspace and the pilot was killed.
Hudson River Helicopter crash @fox5ny @ABC7 @NBCNewYork @CBSNewYork @njdotcom @News12NJ @CNN @cnnbrk
Credit: Bruce Wall pic.twitter.com/CVy249wApx
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