Spanish Siemens executive Agustín Escobar was supposed to be in New York City for a business trip. But with his wife, Mercè Campruví Montal’s 40th birthday, and daughter’s ninth birthday coming up, the family had decided they’d make the trip memorable. On April 10, the family of five, including two sons (ages 4 and 11) embarked on a trip they thought would be the perfect ode to the Big Apple—a helicopter ride over the foggy Manhattan skyline circling the Statue of Liberty, heading north along the Hudson toward the George Washington Bridge and then turning south. At approximately 3:15 pm, the ride took off. However, less than 18 minutes later, tragedy struck.

Several eyewitnesses described the helicopter flipping and spiraling, and then crashing into the Hudson river, upside down. Videos showed how the rotor blades had completely detached from the chopper. Six lives were lost, gone in an instant. What remained were the spine-chilling photos the tour company had posted of the family before they were about to board: The parents were standing embracing the smiling children, bundled up in knit winter hats and warm clothes. In another photo, one of the children could be seen sitting beside the pilot Seankese Johnson, just before the trip was about to start.

36-year-old Johnson, a Navy veteran who served from 2006 to 2018, was reportedly a seasoned pilot who had a staggering 778 hours of total flight time. He had recently moved to the city to continue his career as a pilot, after separating from his wife Kathryn just a few months ago. “It’s just hard right now,” the ex-wife had said reacting to the incident. Needless to say, the devastating news traveled through the internet, and Conor McGregor happened to stumble upon it. 

He decided to offer his condolences and prayers by putting the pictures on his Instagram Story. The first photo showed the family getting ready to climb onto the helicopter. Reacting to that, McGregor wrote, “Heartbreaking 💔🙏.” He went on to share another picture of the family, dropping his prayers with a folded hands emoji. As for the family, Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, the transportation solutions division of Siemens AG, while his wife handled the global commercialization manager position for the same company, as per her LinkedIn page. Additionally, Mercè was also the daughter of a prominent sports family, with her grandfather and great-grandfather serving as the presidents of FC Barcelona, as per CNN. 

“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,” a Siemens Mobility spokesperson,” a company spokesperson later told CNN. Seankese, on the other hand, had reportedly radioed base shortly before the crash, informing that they would need refueling. Later, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed on social media that the helicopter was not getting air traffic support at the time because it was in a special flight rules area. However, it did receive support from LaGuardia Airport. But while the pilot was known for his professionalism, friends also remembered him for the kind of person he was.

Matt Klier, a friend of Johnson told news outlets while holding back tears, “He was just a super good dude, I’m a helicopter pilot, we started at the same time. The man was an amazing pilot.” Another friend, Remi Adeleke, posted a photo of the deceased pilot on social media, and wrote, “Sean came from very humble beginnings—but he never let that define or limit him. If anything, it fueled him. He had a quiet determination, a spirit of resilience, and a heart that always looked out for others. Even after we both left the Navy, we stayed close—regular calls, meetups, and texts. He’d keep me updated every step of the way through pilot school, sharing milestones and progress. He was so proud, and I was proud of him.”

The exact reason behind the tragedy is still unknown, but investigations are ongoing to determine whether birds could be responsible for the fatal crash, after eyewitnesses reveal seeing a large flock of birds near the accident site.

But, soon after the pictures were released on the internet, social media users took over the comments section to shower their condolences on the family. Let’s see what they had to say. 

Netizens grieve for the family as Conor McGregor offered his condolences

One comment read, “RIP to the family such a tragedy 😢.” While another account wrote, “May they rest in peace 🙏.” Accidents like this affect the entire world. And for some, such news turns them cold. One fan pointed this out and wrote, “This just sent shivers down my spine 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢.” Another account claimed that it was all “So f—— sad.”

Some users even believed that it could have been avoided. One of them commented, “Just insane all these accidents happening could have been prevented, a complete family gone in the most unthinkable way.” Meanwhile, others put the blame on the helicopters. After all, there have been four globally reported helicopter crashes in 2025, and 2 of them were in the US. The comment read, “no one should get in helicopters tbh. sketchy machines.” And some of the fans took this as a sign to live to their fullest. “People wake up not knowing it’s their last day. Live like yours could be,” wrote a fan. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased in this tough time.