Tragic New York City helicopter crash hits home in Barcelona where victims were well known

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — As they sat inside a helicopter shortly before a flight over the towering skyscrapers of New York City, Agustin Escobar flashed a thumbs-up while his wife and children beamed big smiles.

A trip that was intended to celebrate their middle child’s upcoming birthday ended up being the final moments for the family of five from Spain. Moments later, their sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing them and the pilot.

Condolences poured in Friday for the Barcelona family, including Spain’s prime minister, the company where the parents worked and the school where their children studied.

Escobar was global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, while his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal worked for Siemens Energy, a separate company. Camprubí Montal’s grandfather was a former president of the famous Barcelona FC soccer club.

The children were 4, 8 and 10 years old, and the middle child’s 9th birthday would have been Friday, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“Unimaginable,” was how Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the tragedy.

“The news that has reached us about a helicopter accident in the Hudson River is devastating,” Sánchez said on X during a state visit to China. “Five members of a Spanish family, including three children, have lost their lives. It is an unimaginable tragedy. I feel for the loss of their loved ones.”

Students at the Jesuits of Sant Ignasi school in Barcelona’s upscale Sarria neighborhood wept and embraced their parents Friday afternoon, after learning of the deaths of their friends and classmates, as seen by an Associated Press reporter.

The school held a minute of silence in the morning, Oleguer Bertran, an 18-year-old student, told the AP.

A father at the school’s entrance said his son had been friends with one of children who perished, and is completely devastated. The man declined to be named.

The school published a statement on Instagram saying it was “devastated by the death of a family of our community.” It declined to comment when contacted by the AP.

Escobar was originally from Puertollano, a small city in central Spain's Castilla La Mancha region.

“I want to express my sorrow for the traffic helicopter accident in New York that claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar and his family,” regional president Emiliano García-Page wrote on X. “In 2023, we named him a Favorite Son of Castilla La Mancha.”

Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account. In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain.

He regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often traveled internationally for work, including to India and the United Kingdom in the past month. He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain since 2023.

In a LinkedIn post in 2022, he thanked his family, “my endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love ... and patience.”

Camprubí Montal hailed from northeast Catalonia, where Barcelona is. She had worked for Siemens Energy for about seven years, including as its global commercialization manager and as a digitalization manager, according to her LinkedIn account.

She was also closely tied to the history of the famous Barcelona soccer club. Her grandfather, Agustí Montal i Costa, was president of the club from 1969 to 1977, and her great-grandfather Agustí Montal i Galobart, presided over the club from 1946-1952.

The club has not commented on her death.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,” Siemens said in a statement Friday.

Escobar had traveled to the New York area on business, and his family flew in to extend the trip by a few days, said Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City. Photos the tour company posted on its website show the family smiling in the helicopter before takeoff.

On Saturday, Adams and Joan Camprubí Montal, Mercè Camprubí Montal's brother, visited the crash site and laid flowers.

“It is our way of saying, as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief, and their grief is ours,” Adams said.

Joan Camprubí Montal on Saturday expressed gratitude for the outpouring of condolences to his family

“They left together. They left without suffering. And they left with a smile on their faces. And that’s important for us as a family,” he said.

Associated Press photojournalist Emilio Morenatti contributed. Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.

This story has been corrected to show Camprubí Montal worked for Siemens Energy and her husband was employed by a separate company, Siemens Mobility. An earlier version said they both worked for Siemens.

New York Mayor Eric Adams joins Joan Camprubí Montal, a family member of five of the victims who died in the Hudson River helicopter crash, at a memorial on Saturday, April 12, 2025 in New York. (Justin Persaud/Mayoral Photography Office via AP)

New York Mayor Eric Adams and Consul General of Spain Marta de Blas Mayordomo join Joan Camprubí Montal, a family member of five of the victims who died in the Hudson River helicopter crash, at a news conference, Saturday, April 12, 2025 in New York. (Justin Persaud/Mayoral Photography Office via AP) .

Joan Camprubí Montal, a family member of five of the victims who died in the Hudson River helicopter crash, looks at a memorial wreath on Saturday, April 12, 2025 in New York. (Justin Persaud/Mayoral Photography Office via AP)

FILE - Siemens executive Agustin Escobar speaks during a conference in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 5, 2024. (Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via AP)

View of the school 'Jesuitas de Sarriá San Ignacio' in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo)

A crane vessel arrives at the scene where a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In this photo taken from video, a helicopter falls from the sky into the Hudson River , Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Jersey City, N.J. (Bruce Wall via AP)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — For everything he’s done since his celebrated arrival in 2017, Auston Matthews can’t change the Toronto Maple Leafs’ history of early round playoff collapses.

Perhaps, a better future lies directly ahead for a team playing a more responsible defensive style under new coach Craig Berube, and after Toronto secured several individual and franchise achievements in clinching its first Atlantic Division title with a 4-0 win at Buffalo on Tuesday night.

“I think we’re prepared,” Matthews said after scoring his 400th career goal.

“Obviously, we can’t change what’s happened in the past. I think you wear that,” the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL draft added. “So I feel really confident in this group. I think we put in a lot of work over the season. Obviously, earning the division here is a big step for us. But we just want to continue to push forward.”

With the victory, Toronto (51-26-4) won its team-record 25th road game and, with one game left, is guaranteed to finish with its second-most wins and third-most points. In the meantime, Mitch Marner set a career-high with his 100th point, while goalie Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 shots to extend his career-best winning streak to eight.

In securing the Eastern Conference’s second seed, Toronto will face provincial rival Ottawa in the first round and rekindle the so-called “Battle of Ontario.” The Maple Leafs have won all four playoff series meetings against the Senators, the most recent a seven-game first-round win in 2004.

Toronto, however, is also carrying the weight of its more recent playoff history. The team has advanced past the first round just once — a 4-2 series win over Tampa Bay in 2023 — in its past nine postseason appearances.

What’s different is how the Maple Leafs are playing in riding a 12-2-1 run, including a nine-game stretch in which they’ve won eight times while outscoring opponents by a combined margin of 28-12.

“The whole season’s a learning curve, especially with a new coach coming in, new systems. It’s different from the style of play that this team’s played with in previous seasons,” said forward Steven Lorentz, who signed with Toronto after winning a Stanley Cup with Florida last year .

“It might not be as exciting when you win the game 2-1 rather than 7-6,” Lorentz added. “But you know, that’s championship hockey and that’s what it takes if you want to play into June.”

The Maple Leafs certainly haven’t lost their offensive touch. With 263 goals, Toronto is closing in on finishing its ninth straight season ranked among the NHL’s top 10.

What’s changed is the team’s goals-against numbers. The Maple Leafs enter their final game ranked 10th in the NHL in allowing 226 goals. Only twice over the past nine seasons have they finished with a better ranking.

The players credit their goaltending tandem that includes Joseph Woll, and with Stolarz picking up his fourth shutout of the season, third in four starts, and 12th of his career.

“He was lights out last year,” Lorentz said of Stolarz, who also spent last season in Florida. “He just brings it. He’s a gamer. He doesn’t take anything super seriously. And I think that’s what makes him so good.”

Stolarz placed the emphasis on how the team’s playing soundly in front of him.

“I feel good, but I think at the end of the day, the guys are really committing to a complete two-way game up and down the ice,” the 31-year-old said. “It’s what it’s gonna take to go far in the playoffs. I just think that we have to continue this trend.”

Berube, who won a Cup coaching the St. Louis Blues in 2019, said the key to this season has been the buy-in from players.

“You’re always trying to work on your identity. And that hasn’t stopped throughout the season,” he said.

“I think our guys have done a good job of it,” Berube added. “So yeah, I think we’re in a good spot, but we’ve got to keep making sure we’re pounding away at it and keep working on it and be ready to go.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) celebrates his goal with center Auston Matthews (34) and left wing Matthew Knies (23) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) makes a blocker save during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his goal with left wing Scott Laughton (24) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Toronto Maple Leafs center Steven Lorentz (18) celebrates his goal with left wing Scott Laughton (24) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his goal with goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)