Six people died when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CBS News.
The incident happened at roughly 3:15 p.m. Thursday near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft in Jersey City, not far from River Drive South and Newport Parkway, near the Water’s Soul sculpture.
Three adults and at least two children were on board, according to the NYPD. All of the bodies have been recovered, a person familiar with the situation told CBS News. City Hall sources identify the victims as a family from Spain. The pilot was also killed.
The helicopter involved was a Bell 206, according to the FAA. It took off from Lower Manhattan, according to the New York City’s mayor’s office. A source familiar with the investigation confirmed it was owned by a company called Meridian Helicopters out of Louisiana.
After takeoff, the helicopter apparently flew over Governor’s Island and then near the Statue of Liberty before heading up the Hudson River along Manhattan’s West Side before turning around just past the George Washington Bridge and flying back down along the Jersey side of the river before coming down near Jersey City.
