By Gareth Vipers and Drew Hinshaw

The family who were killed when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near New York City included members of the Spanish business elite and their three young children.

Agustín Escobar, the chief executive of a Siemens division in the country, died alongside his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children when the helicopter taking them on a sightseeing tour plunged into the river Thursday.

Montal was a global marketing manager for Siemens Energy and the granddaughter of a former president of FC Barcelona, the powerhouse soccer team. The three children were 4, 5, and 11.

Escobar -- a native of Puertollano, a small city in central Spain that named him its Favorite Son in 2023 -- had served in several executive roles for the German industrial conglomerate, most recently as chief executive for rail infrastructure.

Colleagues recalled him as a family man and a generous business partner who worked at the company for more than 20 years. "He was a wonderful person," said Isaac Monteagudo Casain, an investment adviser who said he was in business with Escobar.

Ana Belén Rueda Martín, a data science manager who said Escobar was her first boss in 2007, described him as a "brilliant, very approachable" leader.

A spokesman for Siemens on Friday said the company was deeply saddened by the deaths. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones, " he said.

The helicopter, a Bell 206 operated by the New York Helicopter tour company, crashed into the water on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, near Hoboken, officials said. It departed from a downtown Manhattan heliport around 2:59 p.m. and briefly traveled south before turning north up the Hudson River.

The aircraft reached the George Washington Bridge at 3:08 p.m., NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. It then turned to travel southward along the New Jersey shoreline before it lost control and hit the water, Tisch said. The helicopter appears to have been upside down when it crashed, she added. The pilot, who authorities haven't named, was also killed in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation to determine the cause of the crash alongside the Federal Aviation Administration.

Write to Gareth Vipers at gareth.vipers@wsj.com and Drew Hinshaw at drew.hinshaw@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 11, 2025 05:54 ET (09:54 GMT)

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