Witnesses have recounted what they saw and heard the moment a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, claiming the lives of various victims, including children.
A quiet afternoon in Jersey City turned into a scene of chaos and fear when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in front of stunned witnesses.
The helicopter lying upside down in the Hudson River after it crashed in New York on April 10, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Dani Horbiak was inside her home when she heard a rapid series of noises that sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air.” Curious and alarmed, she rushed to her window and saw the helicopter spiraling out of control before it broke apart and plunged into the water.
According to Horbiak, the aircraft splashed “in several pieces into the river,” a moment that left her shaken. Along the river in Hoboken, Lesly Camacho, a hostess working at a restaurant, also witnessed the horrifying event.
She described the helicopter as spinning wildly with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before it crashed violently into the water.
Mandy Bowlin, a tourist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was aboard a Circle Line sightseeing boat when her peaceful excursion took a terrifying turn. She described hearing a sudden boom behind her, prompting her to turn and witness a helicopter plummeting toward the water.
One of its rotor blades detached midair, and the aircraft nosedived straight into the river. Bowlin recalled seeing debris hurtling in the direction of the boat, intensifying her fear — especially for her daughter, who was with her at the time.
“We’re kind of shook [sic] up,” she admitted, calling the moment deeply unsettling and frightening. Peter Park, a local resident in Jersey City, had a similarly jarring experience. At around 3:15 p.m., he heard what he dubbed “a loud bang,” and looked out the window just in time to see a helicopter trailing black smoke.
He then saw rotor blades, no longer attached to the aircraft, tumbling down into the river — alarmingly close to the New Jersey shoreline.
Concerned that the falling debris could injure people nearby, Park immediately texted his wife, telling her he believed a helicopter had just crashed. He followed up the message by calling 911 to report what he had seen.
Another witness, Dominick Cognata, gave his own account of the crash during an interview with an NBC New York reporter.
“So, I just happened to be walking, and I heard, like, it sounded like an engine just dying, and I just […] turned, I look [sic], and I saw the helicopter uhm crash and splash into the water,” Cognata disclosed. More details on the story will follow shortly.
