New York, New York - A helicopter into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, police said as marine emergency responders attended the scene.
A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, police said as marine emergency responders attended the scene. © Collage: Screenshots/X/@hernandezlg
Images showed the chopper's landing skids protruding from the river beside Manhattan's West Side Highway as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Several people were pulled from the water and taken to a hospital in New Jersey, the broadcaster reported citing law enforcement at the scene, adding that at least five had died.
The helicopter was reportedly carrying two adults and three children, who were tourists from Spain visiting New York.
The river is a busy shipping channel and was the scene of the dramatic 2009 incident when a US Airways aircraft safely landed in the water with all 155 people on board escaping with their lives and was dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson."
"Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas," the New York Police Department wrote in a statement.
A fire service spokesperson said that "we got the call at 3:17 PM" about a "helicopter in the water" but was unable to give other information.
Police and firefighters work on the site after a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River on Thursday in Jersey City, New Jersey. © ANDRES KUDACKI / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Images showed the chopper's landing skids protruding from the river beside Manhattan's West Side Highway as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Police from both New York and New Jersey, which is on the opposite side of the river from Manhattan, were at the scene along with fire department vessels.
The NBC4 channel reported that its own helicopter was unable to take off because of conditions, with the weather in New York on Thursday windy under thick cloud cover.
Witnesses told the outlet that the main rotor blade had come loose from the aircraft.
Aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that based on air traffic control data the helicopter was likely a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV.
The river is as deep as 200 feet at points, and the images of the helicopter appeared to show floatation devices deployed on the aircraft's skids.
New York Mayor Eric Adams called the incident "heartbreaking."
"The team is on the scene at the heartbreaking and tragic crash in the Hudson River," he .
The average temperature of the river is 46 degrees Fahrenheit at this time of year, according to the US Geological Survey.
There is a heliport close to the Hudson Yards development but it was unclear if the aircraft was heading to or from the facility.
