Rattled tourists next in line for doomed Hudson River helicopter that crashed give chilling statement

Two rattled tourists next successful statement down nan Spanish family who died connected nan doomed Hudson River chopper flight chillingly told The Post connected Friday, “It could person been us.”

Dutch mates Melissa Maertem, 23, and her fiancée, Melissa Bos, 24, recounted watching nan 5 members of nan Escobar family excitedly airs for photos connected nan helipad astatine Downtown Skyport earlier taking disconnected for what was expected to beryllium a thrust of a lifetime.

The family — Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their 3 young children — past hopped connected nan New York Helicopter Tours craft, leaving Bos and Maertem to hold for their ain formation pinch a different company.

A commotion soon collapsed out, and heliport workers yet told nan mates location was an “accident.
We were group and ready,” Maertem said. “It’s really difficult to get it each in. When we heard [about nan crash], we sewage each chills.”

“It could person been us,” Bos said.

The mates learned much specifications astir nan clang — including that nan family of 5 and aviator were each dormant — erstwhile they returned to their edifice room.

“When we sewage backmost to nan hotel, we saw it connected TV, and we saw nan helicopter, and nan image of nan family this greeting — for illustration wow, that’s nan 1 we saw,” Bos said.

Bos and Maertem primitively thought they’d reschedule their sightseeing trip, but reconsidered aft their brushwood pinch decease sank in.

“We’re excessively afraid, truthful we’re trying to get our money backmost correct now,” Maertem said.

All flights from nan skyport were canceled aft nan horrifying crash — but astatine slightest immoderate different would-be sightseers said they’d still alert if fixed nan chance.

Swiss tourer Petra Hermann was among respective groups of travelers who trekked to nan heliport Friday morning, only to find their antecedently booked flights were grounded without announcement from chopper circuit companies.

Hermann told The Post she had still planned to alert pinch her partner, 2 teenage sons and their grandfather to observe nan patriarch’s 80th birthday.

“We’re a small spot worried, but nevertheless we deliberation it doesn’t hap doubly wrong a fewer hours,” she said. “That’s why I deliberation we should beryllium fine.

“That’s why we dream they are checking overmuch amended than yesterday, truthful they really make judge that nan chopper is safe. I deliberation they can’t consequence different mishap and dormant people.”