The pilot at the controls of a helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River and killed all six people aboard has been identified.
The Bell 206 aircraft, operated by New York Helicopters, went down at 3:17PM on April 10, slamming into the water off Lower Manhattan near Pier 40.
The impact killed everyone on board: Navy SEAL veteran Sean Johnson, who was the pilot, Siemens executive Agustín Escobar of Barcelona, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, aged 11, five, and four.
Emergency crews recovered all six victims from the wreckage. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others died after being transported to the hospital.
Johnson, who also worked as a celebrity bodyguard, had moved to New York to begin a new aviation career. His final moments were tragically cut short during what was meant to be a routine sightseeing flight.
Michael Roth, 71, owner of New York Helicopter, told The Telegraph that Johnson had radioed in that he was returning for fuel. “He called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” Roth said.
Roth said his team was “devastated” by the loss. “The death of any human being is a monumental disaster,” he added. Another of his pilots reportedly flew over the river and spotted the aircraft upside down in the water.
After reviewing the footage, Roth said he had “no clue” what went wrong but confirmed the main rotor blades were missing, per The New York Post.
Johnson’s wife, Kathryn Johnson, expressed her heartbreak in a statement to the Gothamist. “I'm just at loss for words. I don't even know what happened,” she said. “It's just hard right now.”
His co-pilot, Earl Watters, shared a tribute on Facebook: “With a heavy heart I post this...Thanks to everyone that has reached out to me. Yes, the pilot of the helicopter crash in NY was my Co-Pilot and great friend on Boomer last year, Sean Johnson.
“... The world has lost an all-around great person and amazing friend. He definitely changed my life for the better, and I just want to celebrate his life and how he lived. Always and forever a BOOMER crew member. Godspeed, Amigo.”
His friend, Remi Adeleke, penned on Instagram that he met Johnson in the Navy. “Sean came from very humble beginnings - but he never let that define or limit him. If anything, it fueled him."
“He had a quiet determination, a spirit of resilience and a heart that always looked out for others,” Adeleke added.
A GoFundMe page has been launched by Johnson’s loved ones to help cover financial expenses.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene. A bystander named Max told ABC7: “It sounded like a sonic boom on my right, and so I look up, and literally I see a helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off, and this guy was going straight into the water, and nothing came up afterward."
Another witness, Eric Campoverde, 21, told The Post: “I was walking home from work when I saw the helicopter going down at a 45-degree angle. Then I heard and saw a big splash. It was going fast. It was maybe on top of the water for three or four seconds before it went under.”
One woman, Dani Horbiak, said she heard what “sounded almost like gunshots in the sky” before seeing “pieces fall off” and the chopper crash.
Avi Rakesh told NBC News he saw the rotor blade come off moments before the aircraft dropped: “I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped,” he said.
According to News.com.au, the helicopter had taken off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59PM and turned back south near the George Washington Bridge minutes before the crash.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the aircraft was operated by New York Helicopters and said it “lost control and hit the water just a few feet off the coast of Pier A Park in Hoboken".
Kaz Daughtry, NYC’s deputy mayor for public safety, said first responders were visibly shaken and “really tried their hardest” to save those on board.
President Donald Trump has weighed in, calling the incident “horrendous” on Truth Social and adding: “God bless the families and friends of the victims... Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!”
An investigation is now underway, led by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.