Devastated brother of mom killed in Hudson River helicopter crash delivers heartbreaking tribute after laying flowers at site of tragedy
The devastated brother of Hudson River helicopter crash victim Mercè Camprubí Montal paid a grim visit to the scene of the fatal accident Saturday, as he promised to 'never forget' his tragic family members.
'We will never forget you,' said Joan Camprubí Montal in his native Spanish after reciting all five of their names. 'We will keep your smile alive every day of our lives, and I believe that's the best legacy we can give you.'
Camprubí Montal, who flew into the Big Apple from Spain, briefly spoke to the media Saturday after first meeting with Mayor Eric Adams and laying a wreath on the Jersey City side of the scene, not far from where the sightseeing chopper carrying the family of five and their pilot plummeted into the chilly waters.
Adams laid flowers for chopper pilot and Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, who was also killed.
'This is a really difficult situation but we are overwhelmed by the massive condolences we've received,' Camprubí Montal added. 'I want to say they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that is important to us.'
He said he'd like to bring the five bodies back to Spain as soon as possible, 'to rest in peace together in our place.'
Adams called Thursday's fatal helicopter crash an 'unspeakable' tragedy.
'Our hearts are broken,' started Adams, noting the flower-laying on the Hudson 'was a symbolic gesture for the loss of life' that happened Thursday.
It is also, Adams said, 'our way of knowing and acknowledging our words can't bring back their family members, but it is our way of saying, as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief.
'Their grief is our grief,' Adams insisted. 'Their sorrow is our sorrow.'
Killed in the Thursday crash were Johnson, Camprubí Montal, her husband, Agustin Escobar, and their three children — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4.
The family was in town celebrating both Mercè's 40th birthday and Mercedes' 9th birthday, which would've been on Friday. The aircraft went down 25 minutes after takeoff from Manhattan's Downtown Skyport.
Camprubí Montal's family, which made their fortune in textile manufacturing, is best known in her hometown by their reign over FC Barcelona — one of the world's biggest and richest soccer clubs, La Vanguardia reported.
The chopper crashed near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, moments after the main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft.
NYPD personnel recovered one of the helicopter's doors during a search of the river Saturday. The craft's rotor blades remain missing.
The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined and could take weeks, officials said.
The doomed helicopter, owned by Louisiana's Meridian Helicopters and operated by New York Helicopter, experienced a mechanical issue with its transmission assembly last September, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.
The company said that it was 'not operating until further notice.'
In a statement posted to its site, the firm said it was 'profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of our helicopters in the Hudson River.'
The statement insisted 'the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,' and that company's 'immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.'
Records show the aircraft was built in 2004 and had already logged 12,728 hours of flight time when it was forced into repair.
New York Helicopter made headlines in June 2013, when a Bell 206 chopper carrying four Swedish tourists crash landed in the Hudson when the aircraft lost power. Somehow, the pilot and four family members miraculously survived.
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