Helicopter crashes in Hudson River in New York City, 3 dead: Sources

Six people, including three children, were on board, according to sources.

At least three people were killed when a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River by Lower Manhattan in New York City on Thursday afternoon, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The helicopter was carrying a pilot, two adults and three children, according to law enforcement sources. The family members were tourists from Spain, sources said.

Dani Horbiack told ABC News she watched the helicopter “fall out of the sky” from her apartment window.

“I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river,” Horbiack said.

“I was walking by and the helicopter went down at 45-degree angle,” Eric Campoverde told ABC News. “Big splash — it was very scary.”

“It sounded like a sonic boom,” a witness told New York ABC station WABC. He said he saw the “helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off.”

Another witness told WABC “one propeller broke into pieces.”

The chopper — identified by Federal Aviation Administration as a Bell 206 helicopter — was upside-down in the 50-degree water when rescuers arrived to the scene, which was closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, according to sources.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff and Erin Murtha contributed to this report.