Who was Agustin Escobar? Siemens CEO killed with family in New York City helicopter crash

A tourist helicopter plummeted upside down into New York City's Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six people on board, including a Spanish family with three children and the pilot, Mayor Eric Adams said.

Agustin Escobar, an executive at Germany-based technology company Siemens, had gone sightseeing with his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11, when the crash claimed their lives, ABC News reported.

Video of the crash showed what appeared to be a large object plunging into the river, followed seconds later by what appeared to be a helicopter blade. Afterwards, emergency and police boats were seen circling around a patch of river where the helicopter was submerged, with only what appeared to be the aircraft's landing gear poking above the water's surface.

The cause of the mishap remained under investigation.

Based in Barcelona, Agustín Escobar was the global CEO for rail infrastructure for the technology company Siemens.

As per a press release by the company, Escobar had led Siemens Spain since 2022.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Escobar had run international operations across the US, South America, Germany, and Spain with over 25 years of experience. He had landed in New York with his family only hours before their flight with New York Helicopter Tours.

Pictures taken just hours ahead of the fatal crash also showed the family warmly dressed for their trip, according to the New York Post.

Siemens issued a statement condoling the deaths of Escobar and his family on Friday.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustin Escobar and his family. Our deepest condolences go out to all of his relatives," Siemens said.

US President Donald Trump has also offered condolences to the victims of the crash.

(With inputs from Reuters)