BREAKING UPDATE: At least 3 dead after helicopter crashes into Hudson River near Manhattan: report

A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday afternoon, according to the New York Police Department. ABC News reports that three people have died, and at least five were on board.

"Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas," the NYPD posted on X.

The fire department received a report of a helicopter in the water at 3:17 p.m.

"We’re following reports of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. At this time, based on ADS-B data and the location of SAR activity, we believe the aircraft involved to be N216MH, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV," FlightRadar24 posted on X.

"I was walking by and the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle," one witness told ABC News. "Big splash — it was very scary."

"It sounded like a sonic boom," another witness told New York ABC station WABC.