Key takeaways from the tragedy:

• Agustín Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children were killed in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River.
• The family from Spain was in New York to celebrate a birthday, and the flight was part of their sightseeing tour.
• The helicopter lost control shortly after takeoff, plunging into the river with no survivors.
• Authorities are investigating the crash, with early reports indicating a failure in the helicopter's rotor system.

A tragic helicopter crash in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025, resulted in the deaths of Agustín Escobar, a prominent executive of Siemens, along with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children aged 4, 5, and 11. The family was visiting from Spain to celebrate one of their children's birthdays, as reported by ABC News.

The Bell 206 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, took off from the Wall Street Heliport shortly after 3 PM. Witnesses noted that the helicopter flew north along the Manhattan skyline and reached the George Washington Bridge before it encountered trouble. Eyewitnesses reported that a rotor blade may have detached mid-flight, causing the aircraft to spiral and crash into the cold waters just off the New Jersey shoreline, as detailed by CBS News.

The family had only just arrived in New York hours before their ill-fated trip, initially posing for photos in front of the helicopter that would tragically take their lives. Escobar, who had been with Siemens for over 27 years, held a significant role as the Global CEO for Rail Infrastructure, while his wife was a global manager for Siemens Energy, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The CEO of Siemens, expressing sorrow over the incident, stated, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustín Escobar and his family lost their lives,” as reported by India Times.

Emergency responders found the helicopter overturned in the river, with a search team recovering the remains of the Escobar family and the pilot shortly thereafter. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident, with initial reports suggesting that the helicopter's flight control may have failed during the tour. This is not the first incident for New York Helicopter Tours, which has faced scrutiny over safety practices in the past, as mentioned by India Times.

The heartbreaking incident has drawn condolences from various levels of government, including the Prime Minister of Spain, who shared the sorrow of the victims' families on social media.