Six people are dead, including three children, in a horrific helicopter crash into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, according to the NYPD.
The tragic incident occurred across from Pier 40 at West Houston and West Streets, closer to the New Jersey side of the river, FDNY officials said.
The FDNY, including the department’s land marine units, and NYPD teams immediately responded to the scene, as did their counterparts from the Jersey City Fire and Police Departments.
Mayor Eric Adams said the craft was part of the tour company, New York Helicopters, and was carrying a family of five from Spain — two adults and three children — in addition to the pilot.
“Our hearts go out to the family of those who were on board,” the mayor said.
NYPD divers, FDNY and other rescue teams entered the water upon arrival, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site; FDNY divers recovered the other two victims.
“Immediate life-saving measures were undertaken on the vessels at the scene, as well as the adjoining pier,” Tisch said. “Four of the victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to area hospitals where sadly both succumbed to their injuries.”
Police are withholding the victims’ names pending family notification.
It is unclear how the helicopter, a Bell 206, crashed. But according to flight-tracking software, it took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. About 20 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft lost control an hit the water “just a few feet” off the coast Hoboken, Tisch said.
New York Waterway, which operates ferries in the Hudson River, were involved in the search effort. Their service was operating with residual delays on Thursday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they would lead the investigation into the incident. It may take weeks to determine the cause of the crash.
In recent years, safety concerns have motivated New York City lawmakers and local residents fed up with flight noise to push for a ban on all “non-essential” helicopter flights emanating from city-owned heliports.
As amNewYork reported last April, the city’s 311 hotline received more than 59,000 complaints about helicopter noise in 2023, more than double the 26,000 recorded the year prior — an indication of a major surge in helicopter flights during the year.
Manhattan state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who has been pushing for the non-essential flight ban, expressed condolences to the victims of Thursday’s crash, but said the incident served as a morbid reminder of the danger facing New Yorkers and others every day.
“I’m grateful for the quick action from first responders, but this is a foreseeable tragedy that could have been far worse had it occurred over land,” said Hoylman-Sigal. “Today’s crash is a grim reminder of our worst fears about the dangers of tourist helicopter flights. Tourist choppers are free to operate without sufficient regulation to protect their passengers and New Yorkers on the ground. I will continue to champion a complete ban on non-essential helicopter flights over Manhattan and those originating from City-owned helipads to prevent crashes like this from ever occurring again.”
