A family of five and the pilot have been identified as the six victims of a fatal helicopter crash in New York, after the aircraft plunged into the Hudson River.
The tourist helicopter broke apart midair on a trip around Manhattan before plummeting into the waters below on Thursday afternoon.
Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy, and their children Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8 and Víctor, 4, were all killed.
The helicopter pilot was named on Friday as Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran.
Family members confirmed the identities of the children to the New York Times and added the couple’s daughter Mercè would have turned nine Friday.
Salvador Illa, the governor of Barcelona confirmed to The Times, that “They are a well-known family” with connections to Barcelona Football Club.
Photos posted on the helicopter company’s website showed the Spanish family smiling before they boarded the flight.
The Bell 206 helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m., headed toward the Statue of Liberty. It then flew north along Manhattan, up the river to the George Washington Bridge, before turning south again. It went off the radar at 3:15 p.m.
Two passengers were reportedly alive when divers pulled them from the Hudson but later died, New York City police commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said at a news conference.
President Donald Trump has offered his condolences while confirming that the National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.
Below we look at all we know about the victims of the crash so far.
Agustin Escobar
The father of the family who perished in the crash has been named as Agustin Escobar.
Escobar, 49, was born in Puertollano, a small city in central Spain, according to The New York Times.
He worked as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility in a career that spanned over 27 years. He began his tenure in 1998 as the head of sales and project management of Power Automation systems in Madrid, working his way up to various management positions before being named Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure last October.
Previously, he served as the CEO of Siemens Spain. On his LinkedIn profile, Escobar said that he was now based in Berlin.
Just a day before the crash, Escobar posted about his company’s latest rail project being launched in the UK.
“What an inspiring example of investment in rail infrastructure and technology! Looking forward to seeing the innovation that will emerge from this new center,” he wrote.
A Siemens spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent Friday: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones.”
Emiliano García-Page, the Puertollano region’s leader, said the city now “mourns the loss of one of its most brilliant sons,” as per a social media post.
Mercè Camprubí Montal
Escobar’s wife has been identified as Mercè Camprubí Montal. She worked for Siemens Energy in Barcelona as the global commercialization manager for the digital team.
According to several Spanish media outlets, Montal was the granddaughter of former FC Barcelona president, economist and businessman, Agustí Montal Costa (1969-1977) and the great-granddaughter of Agustín Montal i Galobart, who served at the club from 1946 to 1952.
Her brother, Joan Camprubí Montal, reportedly submitted his candidacy for the presidency of FC Barcelona in October 2024.
Before starting at Siemen’s as a regional sales manager in Catalonia, Spain, in April 2009, Montal studied at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona and the IESE Business School.
She formerly worked as the head of strategy and business development for the company’s South America operation in Bogota, Colombia, from 2013 to 2018.
Her husband worked as the CEO of infrastructure and cities for South America from the same office at the time. Both moved back to Spain in 2018.
The mother of three’s Facebook page showed happy family photos together with their young children. The most recent photo with two of her children pictured her smiling while embracing during a ski vacation.
An older photo from 2015 showed the couple sitting in a yacht in a sunny marina.
Three children aged 10, 8, and 4
The couple’s three children were on board the tourist flight.
Family members confirmed the identities of the three children as Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8 and Víctor, 4.
Mercè would have turned nine on Friday.
The family was staying at the Hotel Riu Plaza in Times Square, reports The Daily Beast.
Seankese Johnson, the helicopter pilot
The pilot, Seankese Johnson, 36, received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and had logged about 800 hours of flight time as of March, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Friday.
Recently, he posted a photo on Facebook of him piloting a helicopter with Manhattan in the background. In 2023, he posted that he was flying a firefighting helicopter.
“Long hours and painstaking work to get to this moment. Thank you for all the love and support from those who’ve helped me get here,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson transitioned to aviation after a career in the Navy, the Associated Press reported.
He enlisted in 2006 and served until 2018, achieving the rank of Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class, Defense Department records show. He was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan from 2007 to 2011 and in San Diego from 2011 to 2018, serving in the Special Warfare Unit, the Special Warfare Logistics Support Unit, and the Coastal Riverine Squadron.
What went wrong?
Witness Bruce Wall told AP he saw the helicopter “falling apart” midair, with the tail and main rotor coming off. The main rotor was still spinning as it fell to the water, separated from the helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies, TV news stations, and police. It was initially developed for the U.S. Army before being adapted for other uses. Thousands have been manufactured over the years.
The National Transportation Safety Board said was now investigating the crash.
Dan Rice, who frequently flies in the same model of helicopter as the one which plummeted into the Hudson River, has said it was “obviously a catastrophic failure” which caused the crash.
Speaking to CBS News, he said: "Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That's very obvious. Booms and noises like that indicate some sort of mechanical issue.”
The owner of the tourist helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River this afternoon, killing all six people on board, including a family from Spain, told The New York Post he’s “devastated.”
“It’s devastation,” New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth said. “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” a visibly shaken Roth said. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”
President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the victims and stated that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his department are investigating.
“Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has commented on the “unimaginable tragedy.”
Sanchez said in a statement: “The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating.
“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives.
“An unimaginable tragedy. I share in the grief of the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”
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