Metro

Family killed in Hudson River helicopter crash were celebrating the birthday of one of their children

The Spanish family on the ill-fated helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River — killing everyone onboard — were in the Big Apple to celebrate one of their children’s birthdays and the mom’s 40th, Mayor Eric Adams and sources said Friday.

Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three young children – ages 10, 8 and 4 — all died when their sightseeing choppe🐲r broke apart in midair and plunged into the murky watersꦡ Thurs🃏day afternoon.

The pilot, who was later identified as 36-year-old Navy SEAL veteran Sean Johnson, was also 💟killed.

The family of five that was aboard the doomed chopper that crashed in the Hudson River was in New York City to celebrate the birthday of one of their three children. New York Helicopter Tours LLC

Hizzoner said theꦿ middle child was set to celebrate her birthday Friဣday.

At a💟 National Transportation Safety Board press conference in New Jersey on Friday, officials identified the birth🅷day girl as 8-year-old Mercedes, and her brothers as 10-year-old Augustin and 4-year-old Victor.

The mom had also just turned 40, a law enforcement source said, though it wasn’t immediately clear when.

“So this is probably part of the normal tourist attraction of seeing the city from the skyline,” Adams told FOX5 New York. “But it’s just a real unfortunate situation. And our heart goes out to the family members.”

Escobar — who was t🗹he global CEO of rail infrastructure at his company — was in the city on business and his family flew in from Barcelona to extend the trip a few days, Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey Cit𓃲y, wrote in a post on X.

The family had just touched down in the Big Apple from Barcelona 🐓earlier in the day and immediately set off on the sightseeing flight, law enforcement sources earlier tol♛d The Post.

Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children — ages 4, 8 and 10 — were killed along with a pilot Sean Johnson Thursday when their tourist chopper plummeted from the sky. New York Helicopter Tours LLC
Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and two more were declared dead at the hospital, officials said. Christopher Sadowski

In the lead up to the doomed flight, gut-wrenching photos showed the smiling family posing for snaps in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter.

The flight departed a downtown heliport at abou🧜t 3 p.m. and lasted less than🉐 18 minutes, radar data show.


Stay up to date on the Hudson River helicopter crash:


Not long after the group ascended, the pilot radioed base to war🎀n that they were running out of fuel.

Moments later, tragedy struck as the chopper split in half, FDNY officials s🌠aid.

Not long after the group took off, pilot Sean Johnson, 36, radioed base to warn that they were running out of fuel. Bruce Wall

Video of the crash showed parts of the aircraft tumbling through the ai﷽r and crᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚashing into the water as it headed south along the Manhattan skyline.

T🎃he🐬 main rotor was still spinning without the helicopter as it fell, one harrowing clip shows.

Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others died🤪 at the hospital, officials said.

Meanwhile, the mangled wreck — which was owned and ope🧸rated by New York H🦩elicopter — was pulled from the river late Thursday.

Dive operations to retrieve remnants of the chopper continued into Friday.

“It’s devastation,” New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth told The Post in the aftermath. “I’m a father and a grandfather, and to have 🥀children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.

The mangled wreck of the sightseeing helicopter was lifted out of the cold waters of the Hudson late Thursday as dive operations continued into Friday. Obtained by the NY Post

“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 eitherꦕ had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”