UPDATE: Authorities have identified the pilot involved in Thursday’s devastating Hudson River helicopter crash as 36-year-old Sean Johnson, a U.S. Navy SEAL veteran who had recently relocated to New York City to advance his aviation career.

Pilot in Hudson River Helicopter Crash Identified as Navy SEAL Veteran Sean Johnson, Wife Confirmed

Johnson was piloting a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV when it tragically went down near Jersey City, killing him and all five passengers—a family visiting from Spain.

According to his family, Johnson had proudly shared his passion for flying.

On March 27, just two weeks before the crash, he posted a video of himself flying over Lower Manhattan in the same model helicopter.

The post received congratulations from colleagues and friends, celebrating his progress in the aviation industry. Prior to flying in New York, Johnson had also worked as a pilot in Chicago.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

A tragic helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday claimed the lives of a family of five visiting New York City from Barcelona, Spain, along with their pilot.

The family had traveled to the city to celebrate the birthday of one of their young children when the sightseeing tour ended in disaster just minutes after takeoff.

The victims have been identified as Agustín Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children: Agustín, 10; Mercè, 8 (who would have turned 9 that day); and Víctor, 4.

The family had boarded a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter operated by New York Helicopter Tours for an aerial view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty when the aircraft went down into the Hudson around 3:15 p.m., approximately 16 minutes after departing.

According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, the 36-year-old black male pilot had radioed that the helicopter was running low on fuel and was heading back to base to refuel.

Tragically, the aircraft never made it. Witnesses reported hearing a loud “boom” and saw the helicopter’s rotor blades separate from the aircraft before it plummeted upside down into the river near Pier 40, causing a massive splash.

Emergency responders pulled three victims from the wreckage in traumatic arrest and confirmed that four individuals died at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries at the hospital shortly afterward.

Escobar served as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, while Camprubí Montal worked as a Global Commercialization Manager at Siemens Energy. Camprubí was also the granddaughter of Agustí Montal Costa, a former president of FC Barcelona.

Photographs taken prior to the flight show the smiling family standing in front of the ill-fated aircraft—images that now serve as a heartbreaking reminder of the day’s devastating turn.

The wreckage was recovered from the Hudson River later that evening as dive operations and investigations continued into Friday.

In a statement, New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth expressed profound sorrow over the incident.

“I’m a father and a grandfather — I’m absolutely devastated,” Roth said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in 30 years of being in the helicopter business. Watching the video, the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. I don’t know what happened — it could’ve been a bird strike, or rotor failure. I just don’t know.”

Roth confirmed that the helicopter had been en route to refuel, and the pilot’s radio transmission indicated that he was only minutes from landing when communication ceased.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a full investigation into the crash to determine the exact cause.

This incident marks another chapter in Manhattan’s troubled history with low-altitude flights over crowded airspace, reigniting debate over the safety and regulation of aerial tourism in New York City.