‘It sounded like a SONIC BOOM on my right’ – Manhattan crash eyewitness

💬 “I just see a helicopter SPLITTING IN TWO with the ROTOR FLYING OFF in the sky,” the eyewitness told reporters.

Update partial, from new article, link: 

 A New York City sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair Thursday and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists in the latest U.S. aviation disaster, officials said.

The victims included Siemens (Spain) executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and three children, in addition to the pilot, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-helicopter-crash-e0368ea529659ee1513d92dcbf05a28d