Siemens Executive Agustin Escobar and Family Were Killed in the Hudson River Helicopter Crash

What should have been a celebratory trip turned deadly when a helicopter carrying Siemens executive Agustin Escobar and his family crashed into the Hudson River. The incident occurred on April 10 and adds to the more than 20 aviation crashes in the United States that have occurred in 2025, per Fox 4 News.

According to ABC News, the family was on a sightseeing tour for Merce Camprubi Montal's, Escobar's wife, 40th birthday. Their middle child was supposed to turn 9 the next day. New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement, "Our hearts go out to the family and those on board." Here's what we know so far.

Escobar, Montal, and their children — ages 4, 8, and 10 — along with the pilot, have been identified as victims of the helicopter crash. The aircraft had only been in flight for 15 minutes when it reached the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River, turned south, and crashed at 3:17 p.m. Typically, the National Transportation Safety Board takes 30 days from the date of an incident to complete a preliminary report. An investigation is already underway.

Escobar and Montal were both executives with the Spanish branch of Siemens. The BBC reported that a spokesperson for the company said in a statement, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustin Escobar and his family." They continued, "Our deepest condolences go out to all of his relatives."

In videos circulating online, the helicopter is falling from the sky while its blades are no longer rotating. ABC News aviation expert John Nance told the outlet that he saw "one part flying away at a higher altitude than the body of the chopper." As one person described it to Nance, it "went almost straight in." In his opinion, there was a "loss of lift" on the helicopter, which means their rotor system might have been compromised. Essentially, there was "nothing to hold the helicopter up."

The Escobars charted the helicopter from New York Helicopter Charter Inc. Michael Roth, the company's chief executive, told the BBC that he was "devastated" by the news. "I'm a father, a grandfather, and my wife hasn't stopped crying since this afternoon," he said. When asked about the helicopter's maintenance, Roth said his director of maintenance "deals with that."

The helicopter itself was a Bell 206L LongRanger, which is a "common single-engine aircraft long used for law enforcement missions, medical lifts, newsgathering, and aerial tourism," per The New York Times. Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, said that if this helicopter is taken care of, it should be safe. In the past 25 years, the Bell 206L has been involved in 82 fatal accidents in the United States. A spokesperson for the company said they are following the story.