A director of Siemens, a European technology company, his wife and young children were aboard the tourist helicopter who threw himself into New York’s Hudson River on Thursday, leaving no survivors.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children – 4, 5 and 11 years old – have been identified as victims in the crash with the pilot, 36, told law enforcement sources to ABC News.
In this screen from a video, the first respondents appear on stage with a helicopter accident in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025 in New York.
WABC
Escobar was named a director of Siemens’ branch in Spain and southwestern Europe in 2022, according to a press release from the Technology Kingomerate.
The former head of Siemens’ Spanish arm, Miguel Ángel López, talked a lot about Escobar in the release and said his work was “key” to the company’s success.
“With Agustín Escobar we have the best possible successor to lead from now on, the company in Spain. In recent years his work has been the key to Siemens’ success in mobility and transport,” López said.
The identity of the pilot who flew in the New York helicopter Chartered Chopper has not yet been released.
The family visited New York City from Barcelona, Spain, two Spanish officials told ABC News.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post to X that the news was “devastating.” He added, “Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot has lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy. I sympathize with the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”
National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what led to the deadly event.
First respondents go along Pier 40, April 10, 2025, in New York, opposite where a helicopter went down in the Hudson River in Jersey City, NJ
Jennifer Peltz/AP
Rescue workers and emergency staff are working on site for a helicopter accident on the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan in New York, April 10, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
The accident took place at. 15:17 off the River Drive in River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, just over 15 minutes after it went from Wall St. Heliport, officials said during a press briefing on Thursday. The helicopter reached George Washington Bridge before turning south and crashing, officials said.
“Our hearts go out to the family and them on board,” said New York City Eric Adams mayor during the briefing.
Chopper – identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Bell 206 helicopter – was on his sixth flight. It was found upside down in 50-degree water when rescuers arrived at the scene, officials said.
Editor’s Note:An earlier version of this report named Escobar as CEO of Siemens and has been updated to identify him as a director of the company’s Spanish branch.
