A New York Police Department police spokesman says all five passengers aboard a helicopter that crashed into New York City’s East River are dead.
The spokesman confirmed the deaths to The Associated Press early Monday morning.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman says the Eurocopter AS350 went down just after 7 pm Sunday in the waterway just north of Roosevelt Island.
Officials say the pilot was able to escape the crash after the aircraft flipped upside down in the waters.
Video taken by a bystander and posted on Twitter shows the red helicopter land hard in the water and then capsize, its rotors slapping at the water.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the passengers were recovered by police and fire department divers, who had to remove them from tight harnesses while they were upside down.