“I saw the helicopter submerged in the water and then there was a lot of commotion,” she told DailyMail.com.
Another witness recalled: “One of my children said, ‘what’s that sound?’ I told him I didn’t know. My other child said, ‘Do you think it was an earthquake?’ I said, ‘no we would feel it.’
“My other child asked, ‘Do you think a building pancaked?’”
One eyewitness told ABC that the crash “sounded like a sonic boom,” and when he looked up, he saw the helicopter “splitting in two.”
“It was going so fast and it just went straight into the water… I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” he added.
Another bystander told the outlet: “I heard a loud snap… I looked over… and I could see a helicopter falling on its side and splash into the water. I didn’t see anyone come out.”
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop stated that the Jersey City Police Department is currently leading the investigation until officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrive on the scene.
The skies above the area are frequently busy with planes and helicopters, serving a mix of private, commercial, recreational, and tourist flights.
Manhattan is home to several helipads, often used by various individuals—including business executives—for quick travel across the Metropolitan area.
Since 1977, at least 32 people have lost their lives in helicopter crashes in New York City.
The most recent fatal crash occurred in 2018, when a helicopter went down in the East River, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers on board.
According to the NTSB, the crash on March 11, 2018, happened after the aircraft’s tail inadvertently pulled the fuel shutoff lever.
Tragically, all passengers drowned. The victims were identified as Daniel Thompson, 34; Tristian Hill, 29; Trevor Cadigan, 26; Brian McDaniel, 26; and Carla Vallejos-Blanco, 29.
