Midday News: Investigators Probe Helicopter Crash, Adams Calls for Enhanced Chopper Safety, and the White House Targets Columbia Grad’s Immigration Status

Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Friday, April 11th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: Mayor Eric Adams says he doesn't want to see the end of sightseeing helicopters in the five boroughs after yesterday's deadly copter crash in the Hudson River, but--

Mayor Eric Adams: What we must do is make sure it's safe, make sure it's done correctly, and make sure that all proper maintenance is put in place.

Michael Hill: Mayor Adams made his remarks on FOX 5 this morning. He says helicopters are part of the way of life in the city, both for tourists and for business leaders who use them to travel to the airport. Six people died after the helicopter plummeted from the sky into the water. Authorities have identified the victims as Agustín Escobar, his wife, and three children. The helicopter's pilot also died. His wife is identifying him as Shawn Johnson. The National Transportation Safety Board has investigators looking into the disaster. Witnesses yesterday saw the propeller separate from the copter midair and the chopper fall into the cold Hudson River.

The White House says recent Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil broke no laws, but allowing him to remain in the country would undermine US efforts to fight antisemitism across the world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio makes the claim in a new memo before an immigration court hearing today for the pro-Palestinian student protest leader. Rubio condemned the green card holders' participation in anti Semitic protests and disruptive activities. Lawyers for the Syrian-born Khalil say the memo shows efforts to deport their client have nothing to do with US foreign policy. He remains in detention in Louisiana. 45 with light rain now, light rain today, and 47 for high. Rain and cold tonight. A low of 38 and gusty.

Janae Pierre: Stay close. There's more after the break.

Michael Hill: Authorities are still trying to piece together what led to the tragic helicopter crash yesterday in the Hudson River. A pilot and a family of five died, two parents and three children doubled. WNYC's Brittany Kriegstein joins us now for an update. Brit, what's the latest, and is NYPD still in charge of this investigation, or has investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board shown up yet?

Brittany Kriegstein: Yes, NTSB, they have shown up. They said yesterday evening that they were launching a go team to investigate the cause of this crash, and they were scheduled to arrive in New York last night, as I mentioned. They're still working to piece together exactly what happened. They're still recovering parts of this chopper from the river. The main body was pulled out yesterday, but I believe it will still be some time before we know exactly why this happened. Overnight, the family who died was identified in multiple news reports as Agustín Escobar, his wife, and three young children. We confirmed that Escobar was the global CEO of rail infrastructure at the global technology company Siemens. The family was visiting New York from Spain, and the company says they're just devastated by this loss.

Michael Hill: What do we know, Brit, about the company that operates this helicopter?

Brittany Kriegstein: The company is called New York Helicopter, and we know that it charters tourism flights around Manhattan. We've tried reaching representatives there, and so far, we just haven't heard back. Other outlets, including the New York Times and New York Post, reported the company CEO is saying he was devastated by the crash and still learning more about what exactly happened. He also told them, interestingly, the chopper was leased from a different company, so more probably to come out about that today.

Michael Hill: This is not the first time a tourist helicopter has crashed into the rivers around the city. Isn't that right?

Brittany Kriegstein: No, that's right. Sadly, this is not the first crash, but the last time a similar crash happened was in 2018 when a tourist helicopter with its doors off went down in the East River, killing all five passengers on board. Those doors off flights. You might remember those, Michael, as they're called. They're popular to give tourists better views, but they were banned in New York altogether a few months later, and there's no indication that this helicopter flight also had those doors off. It seems like a much different situation, but still a tourist flight.

Michael Hill: Britt, we know what happens after these kinds of tragic incidents. Lawmakers and resident groups have been calling for a ban on tourism helicopters for years. Have they weighed in on this particular crash?

Brittany Kriegstein: Oh, yes. There's been a chorus of calls from lawmakers already. The crash has reignited this fierce debate over these choppers, which walking and running near the Hudson River and the East River, you hear them, you see them. State Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal is calling it "foreseeable tragedy" because he says these tourist choppers are free to operate without sufficient regulation. He says he's been working on a ban on non-essential helicopter flights over Manhattan. Council member Chris Marte also weighed in.

He's calling on federal authorities to regulate helicopter travel over New York City since those choppers often take off from New Jersey and cross state lines. He says federal agencies should be getting involved. Again, more to come on that today as the NTSB investigates and we hear more about what happened.

Michael Hill: WNYC's Brittany Kriegstein on the helicopter crash into the Hudson River yesterday. Britt, thank you.

Brittany Kriegstein: Thank you, Michael.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this evening.

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