Six individuals, including the pilot, two adults, and three children, tragically lost their lives after a tour helicopter went down in the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, on Thursday afternoon.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference that at 3:17 p.m., authorities received multiple 911 calls about a helicopter crash in the Hudson River near the New Jersey shore.
The helicopter was inverted when it crashed and the cockpit was visible above the water.
From Pier 40 in New York City, police and firefighters from New York and New Jersey responded to the scene of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Divers from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) entered the water within minutes, along with personnel from the Port Authority and several New Jersey agencies.
NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and New York Fire Department divers recovered two others, Tisch said.
A crane boat lifts debris from a helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday in Jersey City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
There were six people on board, including a pilot, two adults and three children, according to the flight manifest.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the family was visiting from Spain, although their identities have not yet been revealed.
MONSTROUS 220-POUND FISH CAUGHT IN NEW YORK’S HUDSON RIVER
Immediate lifesaving measures were taken on the boats and at an adjacent dock. However, four people died at the scene, and the other two died at local hospitals.
According to flight tracking software and a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Bell 206 helicopter, which flies for the tour company New York Helicopters, took off from the midtown Manhattan heliport at 2:59 p.m.
Emergency crews walk along Pier 40 in New York City, in front of the site where a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz)
The plane flew south, before turning to fly north along the Manhattan waterfront to the Hudson River.
At 3:08 p.m., the helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge and then turned again to fly south along the New Jersey shore.
Shortly after, the plane went out of control and crashed into the water a few meters from the coast near Hoboken.
The Army Corps of Engineers announced shortly before 10 p.m. that it had rescued the helicopter.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed they will investigate the cause of the crash.
An NTSB team, including Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, has been deployed and will arrive on scene Thursday night, according to a statement.
A helicopter is seen floating after crashing into the Hudson River on Thursday in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a small plane crash. The pilot was killed.
According to FOX Weather, the water temperature in the Hudson River is around 40 degrees.
No adverse weather conditions were known to have caused the accident.
New York Helicopter did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Map of the area of the reported accident on the Jersey City, New Jersey, side of the Hudson River. (Fox News)
The crash site is less than a mile from Manhattan and is near the Holland Tunnel, where 15.8 million vehicles cross annually from New Jersey to New York City.
A safety zone one mile north and one mile south of the Holland Tunnel along the entire length of the Hudson River remains in effect, as of 10 p.m., according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A crane boat lifts debris from a helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday in Jersey City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, along with their local partners, continue to support the NTSB in its ongoing investigation and debris recovery efforts,” according to a Coast Guard statement.
President Donald Trump appeared at Truth Social on Thursday night to offer his condolences.
“Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River,” Trump wrote. “It appears six people: the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The images of the crash are horrendous. May God bless the families and friends of the victims. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his talented team are working on it. It will be announced soon what exactly happened and how!”
Shortly after 8 p.m., Duffy addressed X to share that air traffic control services were not being provided when the helicopter crashed.
We pray for the victims and their families. Here’s what we know: The tour helicopter was in New York’s Special Flight Rules Area, meaning no air traffic control services were being provided when it crashed, Duffy wrote in the post. “Several minutes before entering the Special Flight Rules Area, LaGuardia Airport Air Traffic Control was providing support.”
Duffy added that his agency will launch a Safety Review Team Thursday night and provide updates as they become available.
From Pier 40 in New York City, police and firefighters from New York and New Jersey respond to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke during a joint press conference with the FDNY and NYPD.
“We stand in solidarity with the families of those on board,” Adams said. “It’s almost like remembering the plane crash here on the Hudson River. Thank God, no lives were lost back then. The memory is still fresh and new, the investigation is ongoing, and… the families… we are with them in our prayers.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a post on X that he was informed by police and called the incident “tragic.”
“We are supporting the emergency response effort through @NJSP, @PANYNJ, and local first responders,” Murphy wrote in the post.
NYPD officials told Fox News Digital they cannot provide further details at this time.
Police and firefighters are working at the scene following a helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Before Thursday’s Hudson River crash, the NTSB reported 211 helicopter accidents in the past two years, 37 of which were fatal.
Since 1965, there have been 36 accidents in nearby New York City, 11 of which were fatal.
In 2019, two helicopters crashed in New York City.
One of the helicopters crashed into the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper in restricted airspace, killing the pilot, according to an Associated Press report.
The other helicopter crashed into the Hudson River and sank while being maneuvered on a helipad, but the pilot escaped.
