Siemens company CEO, family who died in NYC helicopter crash were celebrating birthdays 

Condolences came in from across the globe Friday for a Spanish couple and their three young children who perished Thursday in a helicopter crash in New York City that also killed the pilot, a U.S. Navy veteran.

The sightseeing tour tragedy unfolded a day before Mercedes Escobar Camprubi, the middle child of Agustin Escobar Canadas and Mercè Camprubi Montal, was set to turn 9 years old, officials said during a Friday afternoon press briefing in Jersey City.

A spokeswoman for Jersey City's mayor said the couple also was visiting New York City with their daughter and two sons — Agustin Escobar Camprubi, 10, and Victor Escobar Camprubi, 4 — for another early birthday celebration, as Montal prepared to turn 40 in June.

The mayor's spokeswoman, Kim Wallace-Scalcione, identified the pilot as Seankese Johnson, 36.

When reached by phone Friday, Johnson's widow, Kathryn Johnson, was too heartbroken to say much.

“It’s just devastating, and we’re at a loss for words. We just need a little time before we are able to speak. It’s hard,” she said. 

Johnson said they had been married for 11 years.

Seankese Johnson served in the Navy for 12 years after enlisting in 2006, according to the U.S. Navy Office of Information. He received numerous awards, including a good conduct medal, a national defense service medal and a global war on terrorism service medal.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Siemens AG in Germany said the father — who authorities said was 49 — had served as global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, and his wife had worked as a global commercialization manager for Siemens Energy.

"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," spokesman Christoph Erhard said in a statement.

Before taking on his latest professional role in October,  the Siemens executive had served in another top role for the company in Spain, according to company officials. 

“This tragedy is hard for all of us to comprehend and put into words," Roland Busch, president and CEO of Siemens AG, posted on LinkedIn on Friday. He added: "For many of us, Agustin was not just a colleague but also a good friend whose zest for life enriched so many of us … We will him and his family immensely.”

News of the fatal crash rippled across the world.

On social media site X, Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, wrote in Spanish that the accident was an "unimaginable tragedy."

He added: “I share in the grief of the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time." 

Dozens of people also wrote condolences under a recent photo the Siemens executive had posted of himself on LinkedIn wearing a hardhat while announcing a new project breaking ground in Chippenham, England.

Juan Ignacio Diaz, CEO of the International Copper Association, posted on LinkedIn in Spanish: "A hug to heaven friend and dear brother … You created a beautiful family together with Mercè." 

The family and pilot died when the helicopter plunged into the Hudson River at about 3:14 p.m. Thursday, with video showing it falling upside down with its top propellers not spinning. The single-engine, seven-seat aircraft was owned and operated by New York Helicopter.

Video also appeared to show a piece of the helicopter flying off the aircraft before it crashed into the river near Pier 40 at West Houston Street.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said at the briefing Friday that 17 agency officials were on scene for the investigation into the crash, and an NYPD dive team was working to recover parts of the helicopter in the river.

With Matthew Chayes