Just moments before a sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, a Spanish family visiting New York captured joyful photos—images that would become their last.
On the afternoon of April 10, 2025, tragedy struck in Manhattan when a tourist helicopter crashed, killing all six people on board. Among the victims was a family from Barcelona, Spain, including Agustin Escobar, President and CEO of Siemens Spain.
Newly released photographs show Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children smiling together outside the aircraft before boarding. The family, warmly dressed and visibly excited, posed again inside the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter, with Escobar and his son flashing thumbs-up signs for the camera.
Mercè Camprubí Montal, a global manager in the energy technology sector, was traveling with her husband and children during what was meant to be a joyful family getaway.
The pilot, who was also killed, was the sixth victim in the devastating crash. Witnesses described a harrowing scene as the helicopter appeared to break apart midair. One eyewitness, Bruce Wall of Jersey City, recalled, “It was falling apart probably 15 feet before it actually fell. The tail whipped off, and the propeller came off as it was going down.”
The helicopter crashed upside-down into the Hudson River around 3:15 p.m., near Pier 40 in Manhattan, close to the New Jersey border by Hoboken. When emergency crews arrived, the aircraft’s rotors were missing, highlighting the violence of the impact.
The heartbreaking accident brought a sudden, tragic end to what was meant to be the start of a memorable trip. The investigation into what caused the crash remains ongoing as officials work to uncover the truth behind the catastrophe that claimed an entire family and their pilot.
