Lesly Camacho, a restaurant hostess, described the helicopter spinning with smoke before crashing violently.Mandy Bowlin, a tourist on a sightseeing boat, heard a boom and saw the helicopter’s rotor blade detach before it nosedived into the river,with debris heading toward the boat. Peter Park, a local resident, heard a loud bang, saw the helicopter trailing black smoke, and watched rotor blades fall dangerously close to the shore.Dominick Cognata,
walking nearby, heard the engine sputter before witnessing the helicopter crash into the water. Witnesses quickly reported the incident, but further details are still emerging.