NEW YORK (WPIX) – A helicopter has crashed into the Hudson River off Manhattan, the New York Police Department has confirmed.
“Expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,” the NYPD said in a post on X. Authorities confirmed the crash was first reported shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Sources told Nexstar’s WPIX and the Associated Press that six people died in the crash. Authorities have not yet provided any information regarding how many people may have been on board or their conditions.
Videos posted to social media show showed the aircraft mostly submerged, upside down in the water. Police were seen nearby with police helicopters overhead.
The fire department said it had units on scene performing rescue operations.
The rescue craft were near a site close to the Manhattan waterfront, near the end of a long maintenance pier for one of the ventilation towers for the Holland Tunnel.
The skies over Manhattan are routinely filled with both planes and helicopters, both private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights. Manhattan has several helipads that whisk business executives and others to destinations throughout the metropolitan area.
Over the years, there have been multiple crashes, including a collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River in 2009 that killed nine people and the 2018 crash of a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights that went down into the East River, killing five people.
The Associated Press contributed to this developing report.
