Brother of woman killed in NYC helicopter crash alongside family and pilot speaks out in heartbreaking statement
A family member of the five individuals who died when their helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, New York, has delivered an emotional tribute. On Thursday (April 10) at approximately 3:15pm Eastern Time, a tour helicopter piloted by ex-Navy SEAL Sean Johnson crashed after he communicated to his New York Helicopters colleagues that the aircraft required fuel.
The passengers included Barcelona-based Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children aged 11, five, and four. All occupants perished when the helicopter "split in two."
Merce's brother traveled to New York City to place a wreath near the accident site. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop confirmed that he arrived in New York Friday to identify his sister's remains and those of her family members.
Speaking at a news conference in Spanish, Joan Camprubí Montal named all five victims before stating: "We will never forget you. We will keep your smile alive every day of our lives, and I believe that's the best legacy we can give you."
Michael Roth, the 71-year-old helicopter owner, described Johnson's final communication with his team. He told The Telegraph: "He called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive."
A witness named Max recounted the accident to ABC News: "It sounded like a sonic boom so I look up and literally I saw helicopter splitting in 2, with the rotor flying off in the sky it was going so fast and it just went straight into the water. Nothing came up afterwards it must have just sunk and that was it, and then I just waited here and like five minutes later we started seeing the police and stuff come."
He added: "I've never seen anything like that in my life. For me I just thought it was going to be like city noise, like a crash or like maybe like a jet going overhead - I know that's probably not common."
"But I heard a loud bang to my right followed by a whoop whoop sound as the propeller detached and flew much higher than the helicopter before the aircraft plunged straight into the water. I can't say for certain, but perhaps the tail broke off? What I know definitely is that the rotor separated and the main body crashed directly into the water, so something must have malfunctioned with the rotor causing it to snap off completely." The National Transportation Safety Board has started an investigation into the accident.
