President Trump Responds To “Terrible” Hudson River Helicopter Crash
on Apr 11, 2025
“God Bless The Families And Friends Of The Victims,” President Trump Posted Online
Writing on Truth Social in the evening of Thursday, April 10, President Donald Trump shared his condolences in response to the tragic tourist helicopter crash which claimed the lives of six people earlier that day on the Hudson River.
Aboard the helicopter, chartered from New York Helicopters, were Agustín Escobar and his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, as well as their three children, ages 11, 5, and 4.
Including the pilot of the helicopter, there were no survivors.
“God bless the families and friends of the victims,” President Trump wrote.
Footage of the helicopter’s descent and crash was captured from a couple perspectives and shared on social media. These videos appear to show the fuselage of the Bell 206 L-4 LongRanger IV falling into the Hudson. The propeller and other debris can be seen falling into the waters separately.
See the videos here — viewer discretion is advised:
JUST IN: 6 people are confirmed to be deceased in the Hudson River helicopter crash, according to the Associated Press.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 10, 2025
The chopper's propeller was seen detached from the helicopter, spinning into the water.
According to a witness who spoke with NBC, the chopper blade just… pic.twitter.com/EMpWMJC9el
Investigation Underway
Describing the footage of the crash as “horrendous,” Trump added that Secretary Sean Duffy, of the United States Department of Transportation, and his team are among those leading the effort to determine what led to this incident.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Duffy wrote:
“The tour helicopter was in the Special Flight Rules Area established in New York which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed. Several minutes prior to entering the Special Flight Rules Area, Air Traffic Control from LaGuardia airport was providing support.”
Duffy noted his department has launched a Safety Review Team and that investigators with the FAA were onsite. The overall investigation, he said in a separate post, is being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Thursday’s crash of a Bell 206 L-4 helicopter near Jersey City, New Jersey.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 10, 2025
Chairman Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene. The team is expected to arrive tonight.
What Is Known
Visiting New York City from Barcelona, Spain, Escobar and his children were celebrating Montal’s 40th birthday before the crash took their lives.
Departing from a Manhattan helipad at 2:59 p.m., an aerial view of the Statue of Liberty was their hope. By 3:15 p.m., the helicopter had crashed between New York and New Jersey in the Hudson, with the first calls to 911 coming in minutes later.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop posted an evening update on X about the recovery operations being conducted by the New York Police Department and New Jersey State Police.
“The main body of the aircraft has been recovered and is in the army corps of engineers facility on Chapel Avenue,” Fulop wrote at 9:15 p.m. on April 10. “Major parts of the aircraft have not been recovered so dive operations by the NYPD and NJSP will resume tomorrow morning.”
As of press time on Friday, April 11, investigations from responding organizations are still ongoing.
