Family was to celebrate child’s birthday when ’copter crashed

A family from Spain was about to celebrate the ninth birthday of one of their children when their sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing all six people aboard, officials said on Friday.

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Authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating Thursday's crash.

There has been no word of a cause. NTSB investigators were examining the remnants of the helicopter on Friday and planned to brief reporters.

The victims included Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, who was a global manager at an energy technology company, and their three children, in addition to the pilot.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the children were 4, 8 and 10 years old, and the 8-year-old's birthday was on Friday.

"It's just a real unfortunate situation. And our heart goes out to the family members," Adams told Fox 5 New York. Escobar was in the New York area on business and his family flew over to meet him for a few days, said Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, in a post on X.

He said a relative would arrive on Friday and that officials were working with the medical examiner to release the bodies for their return to Spain.