NYC Helicopter Crash Victims Identified By NYPD

NEW YORK, NY — Two New Yorkers, an Argentine woman and two men from Texas were killed Sunday after the helicopter they were on crashed into the East River, the NYPD said. Police on Monday identified the victims of the crash as Tristian Hill and Daniel Thompson of New York; Brian McDaniel and Trevor Cadigan of Texas; and Carla Vallejos Blanco of Argentina, the Police Department said.

McDaniel, 26, was a firefighter with Dallas County Fire & Rescue, the department confirmed.

"He loved his job, loved his friends and family and loved adventure," his brother, Jason McDaniel, told the New York Daily News.

Cadigan, 26, was a video journalist originally from Dallas who worked in New York City for the website Business Insider, according to his public LinkedIn profile. The company was "devastated" to hear of his death, Business Insider spokesman Mario Ruiz said.

"Trevor was an intern at Business Insider until a few weeks ago. He was a smart, talented, and ambitious young journalist and producer who was well-liked and made a big contribution," Ruiz said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

Cadigan started working at Business Insider in October after stints at The Dallas Morning News and as a freelance journalist, his LinkedIn profile shows. He was the son of the production manager for WFAA, the local ABC station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where Cadigan previously interned.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Trevor's family and friends, and with the families of all of the victims of yesterday's tragic accident," Brad Ramsey, WFAA's general manager, said in a statement.

Blanco, 29, was in the city on vacation from Corrientes, Argentina and did not know anyone else on the helicopter, the Argentine general consulate in New York said.

Hill, 29, and Thompson, 34, were not on the flight as tourists, an NYPD spokesman said.

Richard Vance, the pilot of the privately chartered helicopter owned by New Jersey-based Liberty Helicopter Tours, was the lone survivor of the Sunday evening crash near the Upper East Side of Manhattan, authorities have said.

The passengers were on the flight for a photo shoot before the helicopter plunged into the East River around 7 p.m. Sunday, officials said. Cadigan posted a video on Instagram as the helicopter took off Sunday evening, showing his fellow passengers and the sun setting over a river.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the deadly crash. Vance has told investigators that part of a passenger's harness accidentally wrapped around a fuel shutoff mechanism, cutting off the fuel supply to the engine and causing it to fail, ABC7 reported Monday.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer reportedly called on the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend Liberty Helicopter Tours' business in the wake of the crash.

The helicopter was pulled from the river and taken away by an Army Corps of Engineers boat Monday afternoon, the NTSB said on Twitter. The agency said the helicopter would be examined further at a secure location.

The NTSB is scheduled to give a briefing on the crash at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The agency has 14

Payton Potter contributed reporting.

(This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.)

(Lead image: The Army Corps of Engineers took the helicopter away from the East River after it was pulled from the water. Photo courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board via Twitter)