NEWSDeadly Hudson River Helicopter Crash: Family Killed Was Visiting NYC From Spain for One of Their Young Kids' Birthdays
A family from Barcelona, Spain, was tragically killed while visiting New York City.
April 11 2025, Published 9:22 a.m. ET
A new heartbreaking detail in the deadly helicopter crash that took place in the Hudson River on Thursday, April 10, has been unveiled.
The family from Barcelona, Spain, that was onboard the tourist chopper when it plummeted from the sky had made the trip overseas to celebrate the birthday of one of their three children, a Spanish newspaper reported.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young kids died when a tourist helicopter fell into the Hudson River.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their kids — ages 4, 5 and 11 — were killed alongside an unidentified pilot when the helicopter fell into the Hudson River after viewing the famous sights of New York City.
The family had only been in New York for one day when they boarded the helicopter for what was supposed to be a short trip highlighting views of the Statue of Liberty, the George Washington Bridge and other notable parts of the NYC skyline.
The pilot was also killed in the crash.
In eerie photos shared to the New York Helicopter Tours website moments before the fatal expedition, Escobar, Montal and their little ones could be seen excitedly smiling while standing in front of, and later inside, the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter that failed to land the brood safely.
Once in the sky, the 36-year-old pilot signaled via radio that the aircraft was running out of fuel.
The family had been visiting for one of the kids' birthdays.
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A mere 16 minutes after take-off, at around 3:15 p.m., the helicopter split in half and fell into the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. Bystanders captured the harrowing moment in video footage shared to social media.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and while two of the individuals were transported to a nearby hospital in an attempt to perform life-saving efforts, they also didn't make it.
After the tragic incident, New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth issued a statement responding to the news.
"It’s devastation," he admitted to the New York Post. "I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated."
New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth was 'devastated' by the tragedy.
Roth noted: "The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. 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. This is horrific. But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break," he concluded.
El Diario reported how the family had been celebrating the birthday of one of the young children.
