Hudson River helicopter crash live updates: 6 dead after aircraft goes down in New York City

Trump called the crash "terrible" on Truth Social and said the "footage of the accident is horrendous."

"God bless the families and friends of the victims," he wrote.

Winds of 9 to 12 mph were coming from the south and southeast, with occasional gusts up to 21 mph, around the time of the crash, according to a weather station.

Visibility was good, up to 10 miles, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration was reporting at the time of the flight and the crash.

There had been light rain in the area, but not at the time of the flight or the crash.

The cloud ceiling was 7,000 feet, the weather station reported.

Data on FlightAware for a helicopter flight that matches the aircraft's tail number shows its altitude was a little more than 1,000 feet at its highest, well below the cloud ceiling.

The sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River this afternoon took off from the Wall Street heliport at 2:59 p.m. It traveled along the southern part of Manhattan and circled the Statue of Liberty before it flew up the western side of Manhattan.

At that point, it turned around near the George Washington Bridge, turned south along the New Jersey shoreline and experienced a catastrophic breakup after 3 p.m.

Police and firefighters work the site after the helicopter crashed in the Hudson River.

The passengers who died this afternoon were from Spain, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference this evening.

The were three children and three adults, he said.

Gabby Jackson, 23, was about to start her shift as a security guard when she heard a large boom this afternoon.

“I would have never thought it was a helicopter,” he said. “It didn’t sound like something exploded. It just sounded like something hit something really hard, really loudly.”

She then saw people running toward the river, jumped up and followed them.

“By the time I came over here, only people that was here was the boats so far. The police didn’t show up yet, the fire department didn’t come yet when I first showed up,” she said. “But when they did come, everyone was in full force. Everybody went super fast to attend to the matter.”

Police and fire divers have recovered all six people who were on the helicopter, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and the two others were taken to the hospital, where they "succumbed to their injuries," Tisch said.

"Names are being withheld at this time, pending family notification," she added.

The helicopter lost control shortly after it turned at the George Washington Bridge to move along the New Jersey shoreline, she said.

The cause is under investigation.

All six people on the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River are dead, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference.

NBC News reported previously that only five of the six were dead. Adams confirmed the sixth death at the news conference.

Nio other people are believed to have been on the aircraft when it crashed.

The identities of the six people have not been confirmed. Adams said three adults and three children were on board.

At least some of the victims, officials from New York and New Jersey have said, were family members visiting from Spain.

Two senior law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the matter say at least five are dead out of the six people on the helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River after it broke apart midair.

At least some were family members visiting from Spain, the officials said.

No identities have been released.

Dominick Cognata was walking along the West Side Highway to retrieve a flag football when a loud sound he'd never heard before caught his attention over by the New Jersey side of the river.

"It sounded like, like an engine just dying ... and I just turned, I look, and I saw the helicopter crash and splashing to the water," Cognata told NBC News.

He called 911, using Pier 40 as a reference point but saying it was hard to provide other details since there are no street signs near the walkway where he was. When Cognata got off the phone, he tried to record the helicopter, but it appeared to have already sunk.

Cognata described the event as "extremely tragic."

"It was crazy. ... I walk along this path almost, like, every day for exercise, and to just see that live," Cognata said. "You know, I've lived here my whole life. I've witnessed 9/11. I worked in the next building. So this is, like, something just added to that list of unfortunate things that I've seen happen in Manhattan."

At this early stage of the investigation, and with caution that the numbers could change, three senior New Jersey and New York law enforcement officials say there were six people on board the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River — believed to be a tourist helicopter — and at least four were killed.

No word on the cause, the officials say.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on X his team is on scene "at the heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River." He added that FDNY and NYPD teams are helping first responders close to the New Jersey side of the river.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on X he has also been briefed on the crash. He said the New Jersey State Police and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are aiding the emergency response effort.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said she was monitoring rescue efforts in a post on X and joined "all New Yorkers in praying for those we’ve lost and their families."

A sixth person was pulled from the Hudson River, a senior rescue official told NBC News.

It was not clear whether the sixth person was one of the multiple deceased or what the condition of the living people was.

It was previously understood that there were five people on board: one pilot, two adults and two children. It is not clear who the sixth person was.

First responders could be seen attending to the crash site of the submerged helicopter.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash of the Bell 206 helicopter in the Hudson River, the FAA said in a statement.

The wreckage of the helicopter is now submerged in the river, the agency said, adding that it was not aware of the total number of people on board.

A massive police presence has all but stopped traffic on the West Side Highway below Houston Street.

The site of the crash appears to be along the western side of the Hudson River, that borders Hoboken, New Jersey.

Video from social media shows the body of the helicopter plummeting into the Hudson River, causing a large splash and a boom as it hit the water.

Debris from the aircraft can then be seen falling into the water.

Video posted to social media shows what appear to be pieces of the helicopter falling from the sky and into the Hudson River.

While the body of the aircraft is not visible, what appears to be one of the chopper's propellers can be seen spinning into the body of water.

There are multiple fatalities in the helicopter crash, officials confirmed to NBC New York.

At least 4 people have been removed from the water as the helicopter came to rest near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, according to three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.

The conditions of the people were not known.

Two officials said that, at this early stage of the investigation, it appears to have been a tourist helicopter, but they are still checking that information out.

There were at least four people on board the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River, law enforcement sources said.

Several have been pulled from the water, though it is not clear what condition they are in.

Someone who witnessed crash said he saw one of the helicopter's blades fly off.

Avi Rakesh said he saw the helicopter going south toward New Jersey when "the chopper blade flew off."

"I don't know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped," Rakesh told NBC News. "It dropped feet away from Holland Tunnel, and I can't imagine if it hit it."

The NTSB is gathering information on the Hudson helicopter crash.

The FDNY said that it received a call of a helicopter in the water at around 3:15 p.m. and that its units are responding to the scene.

The department's land marine units are executing rescue operations, the FDNY said. It is still not clear whether there are injuries or how many people were on board.

Pier 40 is an active, multiuse facility along the Hudson River. There are sports fields, tourist party boats and a large car park.

It's at the intersection of West Street and Houston Street.

The helicopter went down in the area of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, the New York Police Department said. It warned of traffic delays and emergency vehicles in the surrounding areas.

A helicopter has crashed into the Hudson River near Pier 40 in New York City.

It is not yet known if there were any injuries or fatalities. It was also not immediately clear who may have been aboard.