A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River just off Manhattan on April 10, killing all six on board, authorities have said.
The incident occurred at 3:17 p.m. on Thursday in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street on Manhattan’s west side, according to the New York Police Department.
Authorities said six people were on board the Bell 206 helicopter—three children and three adults. Rescue teams pulled all six bodies from the water.
“The investigation is ongoing, and we have the entire family members—we’re lifting them up in prayer,” Adams said.
Videos posted to social media showed the helicopter mostly submerged while appearing upside down in the water.
Units were on scene performing rescue operations, the fire department said. Videos showed rescue boats circling the aircraft.
The rescue craft were seen in a location close to the Manhattan waterfront, situated near the end of a long maintenance pier for one of the Holland Tunnel’s ventilation towers.
The helicopter left the city’s downtown Skyport at roughly 3 p.m. ET, carrying the pilot and a family visiting from Spain.
“We’re praying for the families, and our gratitude [goes] to the rescuers and the courage that was displayed in their dedication,” Adams said.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that police divers were in the river within minutes of the initial 911 calls, and ultimately pulled four people from the crash site. Fire department divers recovered the other two and unsuccessfully performed immediate life-saving measures at the scene.
“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where, sadly, both succumbed to their injuries,” Tisch said, adding that names are being withheld at this time pending family notification.
She said the helicopter was flying for the tour company New York Helicopters and flew south after departing the downtown heliport, before turning to fly north along the Manhattan shoreline of the Hudson River. It reached the George Washington Bridge at 3:08 p.m. ET, and then turned again to fly south along the New Jersey shoreline.
Moments later, the aircraft lost control and hit the water just a few feet off the coast of a park in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Officials believe the helicopter hit the water inverted, and the cabin piece was visible above the water when rescuers arrived on the scene, Tisch added.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed three occupants were adults and three were children.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the helicopter, a Bell 206, had crashed and submerged in the Hudson River.
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] will investigate,” an FAA spokesperson said.
The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide any updates, the FAA said.
“@FDNY and @NYPDnews are assisting first responders closer to the New Jersey side of the river,” Adams wrote. “Please avoid the area near Pier 40 in Manhattan in the meantime.”
Manhattan’s skies are often filled with both helicopters and planes, including private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights.
Multiple crashes have occurred in the area over the years, such as the 2009 collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River that killed nine people. In 2018, a charter helicopter that offered “open door” flights crashed into the East River, killing five.
Earlier this year, seven died after a medical transport plane plummeted into a Philadelphia neighborhood. That occurred just two days after the deadly midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River near Washington. All 67 occupants aboard both aircraft died in the incident.
