An eyewitness to the tragic helicopter crash on the Hudson River has recalled the ‘horrifying’ moment she realized a thunderous sound she heard was an aircraft spiraling out of the sky.
Rashmi Kamkeri, a 30-year-old engineer, was working remotely from her apartment in Newport Park when she heard a deafening crash about 3.19pm on Thursday.
From her window – which overlooks the Hudson River running between New York and New Jersey – she saw the tragedy as it unfolded.
A New York Helicopters aircraft was falling from the sky. Authorities have since recovered six bodies from the wreckage, identified as Spanish tech boss Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children, along with the pilot.
‘It was horrifying,’ Kamkeri told DailyMail.com.
‘I thought it was thunder and ten seconds later I saw the helicopter 10 feet above the water falling and then it made a big splash and went underneath the water.
‘I panicked… then saw a piece of the helicopter fall into the water. The Waterway boat was moving and then it took a turn.
‘I was almost in tears praying that someone would come and save them. I wished there would be someone survives. I am so sad.’
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Rashmi Kamkeri (pictured), a 30-year-old engineer, was working remotely from her apartment in Newport Park when she heard a deafening crash about 3.19pm on Thursday
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Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, and his wife and three children (pictured) were killed in the crash
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The most recent crash happened in 2018 when a chopper hit crashed into the East River, leaving five passengers dead. (Pictured: The chopper from the previous crash being pulled from the water)
At 3.22pm, Kamkeri began taking videos of some of the boats circling the wreckage.
Then at 3.23pm, emergency responders started to arrive on the scene and by 3.30pm more police and helicopters arrived.
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter Tours, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH – a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they ‘succumbed to their injuries,’ NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The family of five who tragically perished were pictured posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to The New York Times that the executive and his family were onboard the tour helicopter.
Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain.
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