Three adults and three children killed in crash, says New York City mayor
New York City mayor Eric Adams has confirmed that six people have been pronounced dead, including three children and three adults:
All six victims have been removed from the water and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.
Key events
A map showing the helicopter’s flight path before it crashed has been released by news agencies.
Earlier reports said the helicopter was in the air for about 15 minutes before it plummeted into water near the Holland Tunnel.
Four people pronounced dead on scene, says NYPD commissioner
According to the flight manifest, six people were onboard the helicopter when it crashed, the New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The manifest showed one pilot, two adult passengers and three children, she said.
New York police department divers pulled four people from the crash site, and New York City fire department divers recovered an additional two people, she said.
Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local hospitals “where both succumbed to their injuries”, she said.
The New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the investigation is ongoing.
At approximately 3.17pm ET this afternoon, multiple 911 calls began coming in, reporting a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, she said.
The first units arrived at the site within minutes, with NYPD divers entering the water along with rescue personnel from the New York City fire department port authority and various New Jersey agencies, she said.
Helicopter appeared to lose control before crashing into water, says NYPD commissioner
Joanna Walters
“The helicopter hit the water inverted, we believe,” New York police department commissioner Jessica Tisch said at the press conference.
She said the helicopter had appeared to lose control before it crashed into the water.
Kaz Daughtry, the deputy mayor of New York City for public safety, said that all efforts were made to try to save the lives of the victims after they were retrieved from the water, to no avail.
Family visiting from Spain killed in crash, says Mayor Adams
The New York City mayor Eric Adams said his thoughts were with the families of those who had been onboard and all six people who were onboard the helicopter.
The investigation is ongoing, Adams said.
He said officials began receiving multiple calls at approximately 6.17pm ET about a helicopter that had crashed into the water.
Three adults and three children were onboard the Bell 206 helicopter that had left from downtown Skyport, Adams said.
The victims are a pilot and a family believed to have been visiting from Spain, he said.
Three adults and three children killed in crash, says New York City mayor
New York City mayor Eric Adams has confirmed that six people have been pronounced dead, including three children and three adults:
All six victims have been removed from the water and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.
Officials hold press conference
Kaz Daughtry, the deputy mayor of New York City for public safety, has begun speaking at a news conference also attended by New York City mayor Eric Adams, the New York police department commissioner Jessica Tisch, , and the New York fire department commissioner Robert Tucker.
Joanna Walters
The police have brought the press to the edge of the water, at the end of the pier, ready for an expected press conference from the New York mayor Eric Adams.
Emergency responder boats can still be seen, with blue lights flashing, towards the far bank of the river.
There are strong tidal and river currents in this area, just upstream from the New York harbor, where the Statue of Liberty stands at the approach to the city.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the helicopter was in the air for about 15 minutes before crashing.
Flightradar24 said the aircraft involved was a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV with an N216MH registration.
A witness described seeing the helicopter “splitting in two” with one of its blades “flying off in the sky”.
“It sounded like a sonic boom,” the witness told ABC News.
I look up and … see a helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off in the sky. It was going so fast, it went straight into the water.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” they added.
Joanna Walters
At this hour, witnesses can see a host of emergency responder boats on the river close to the New Jersey side , and a crane is on a floating platform in the river, presumably trying to raise the sunken helicopter.
The Hudson River runs up the west side of Manhattan and divides New York City on the west from the neighboring state of New Jersey, directly across the water.
AP reports that all aboard the helicopter are dead, six fatalities in total. Those observing await official confirmation.
The New York representative Grace Meng said she is “devastated” to learn about the deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River.
“Aviation accidents are becoming far too common,” she posted on X, adding that her heart is with all of the victims and their families.
