Heartbreaking final photos of the Escobar family have emerged that show the tech boss, his wife and three kids smiling with the pilot on New York City sightseeing helicopter moments before it crashed into the Hudson River killing all six. One photo shows them in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and strapped inside the aircraft.
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of Siemens, 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. Authorities said the family had only just arrived in New York City from Barcelona earlier that same day.
Heartbreaking Final Photos
Heartbreaking images captured the family smiling on the helipad and seated inside the helicopter shortly before the fatal crash. Escobar's wife was identified as Merce Camprubi Montal, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News.
As of Thursday night, the pilot's identity had not been released.
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. on Thursday, near the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, just off the southern tip of Manhattan.
Eyewitnesses said they saw the helicopter "break apart" midair before crashing near Pier 40, with one person describing a loud noise similar to a "sonic boom" as the chopper went down.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were later confirmed dead at the hospital, officials said.
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.
Entire Family Wiped Out
Escobar had also been serving as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility since October of last year, according to his profile. Witnesses said that the helicopter carrying Escobar and his family appeared to lose parts of the helicopter as it plunged into the water.
"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," witness Charles McSorley said.
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.
Dani Horbiak told ABC News that she saw the helicopter "drop from the sky" while watching from her apartment. "I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river," she said.
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.
