Chilling Video Captures Moment Helicopter Carrying Siemens CEO Agustin Escobar and Family Plunges into Hudson River Killing Six [GRAPHIC]

Chilling video has emerged that captures the moment a sightseeing helicopter carrying Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of Siemens, and his family, in New York City plunged from the sky into the Hudson River on Thursday, as onlookers described the aircraft coming apart in midair.

Escobar his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children—ages 4, 5, and 11—were killed in the crash, along with the 36-year-old pilot. Footage taken by a bystander and shared on social media shows the tourist chopper suddenly nosediving into the cold Hudson River waters around 3:20 p.m., creating a massive splash on impact, before killing all six on board.

Chilling Moment of Death

According to the video and several eyewitness reports, the tail and rotor blades of the New York Helicopter appeared to break of before the aircraft crashed. A witness, Charles McSorley, said the helicopter’s rotors “snapped right off.”

McSorley, 59, was walking from Jersey City toward Hoboken when he noticed the helicopter flying close by. Moments later, he heard a loud bang and saw the rotors break away from the aircraft.

“Looked like the propellers came straight off. And I saw it come straight down,” the loading dock manager said.

“And I just started walking fast towards Hoboken because it wasn’t far from the Hoboken train station.” He said it appeared that the helicopter was “struggling all of a sudden.”

“But you could literally see that the propeller just snapped right off. You can see it snap off, and then it just came straight down.”

Nicholas Bahamonde, 34, who had a clear aerial view of the tragedy, said he witnessed the helicopter “come apart” while still in the air.

He was on a Zoom call for work in his Jersey City apartment when a “loud bang” interrupted the meeting.

“I look up to the left, and I saw the tail rotor break off of the helicopter, so it was already split in the air, and then the front main part of the helicopter started spiraling into the ocean,” he said.

“I jumped up and I said, ‘Oh my God, there’s a helicopter going down into the Hudson right now.’ And so I got off that and called 911, immediately. But I saw it. I saw it break apart, spiral and crash land into the water like, very clearly.”

Moments before the tragic accident that claimed the lives of all six people on board, the helicopter pilot reportedly radioed a warning that the aircraft was out of fuel. The horrifying crash occurred around 3:15 p.m.

Entire Family Wiped Out

Escobar’s wife was identified as Merce Camprubi Montal, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News. Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were later confirmed dead at the hospital, officials said. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear as an investigation is currently in progress.

Escobar brought with him 25 years of global experience, having led operations in various regions including the United States, South America, Spain, and Germany, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He had been serving as the CEO of Siemens Spain since the end of 2022.

When the German multinational corporation announced Escobar’s appointment, his predecessor, Miguel Ángel López, praised his contributions, saying Escobar’s efforts had been instrumental to Siemens’ achievements in the areas of mobility and transportation.

Escobar had also been serving as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility since October of last year, according to his profile.

The helicopter had been airborne for just 16 minutes after taking off from the Wall Street Heliport and flying near the Statue of Liberty before crashing into the water.

The cause of the helicopter crash is still unclear, as rescue teams were seen retrieving twisted wreckage from the water late Thursday night. Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Charter and owner of the tour company, told the New York Post after the incident that he was “completely heartbroken.”

“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,” he said.