helicopter crash lands on roof of midtown Manhattan building

One person died in the crash, according to officials.

The building, known as the AXA Equitable Center, houses the U.S. headquarters of AXA Financial, a subsidiary of French-based insurance and banking company AXA.

The crash occurred atop 787 Seventh Avenue, a 54-story building located between West 51st and West 52nd streets, at the north end of Times Square.

Workers at the building quickly evacuated after the crash, which occurred on a rainy, foggy day.

A helicopter crash landed onto the roof of a building in midtown Manhattan and then caught fire on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Fire trucks and police vehicle swarmed the area. The fire on the roof was extinguished as of about 20 minutes after the crash.

“There was a helicopter that made a forced landing or an emergency landing … on the roof of the building for one reason or the other,” Cuomo said. “People in the building said they felt the building shake.”

“It was hard landing.”

Laura Esquival, a hostess at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which is located across the street from the crash scene, said, “I saw people running out.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke to reporters at the scene.

Other tenants include BNP Paribas, Citibank and the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

“We do not know” how many people were the helicopter, Cuomo said. “In building itself, nobody has been hurt.”

“They were escorting everyone out,” she said.

The building, which is considered a landmark in the area, was designed by Edward Larabee Barnes for the Equitable Life Insurance Co. Its skylighted entrance atrium features a large mural by the artist Roy Lichtenstein called Mural with Blue Brushstroke, which he completed in 1986.

The Federal Aviation Administration said, “We are gathering information about an accident involving a helicopter that crashed into a building in Midtown Manhattan.”

“We will post a statement as soon as we have confirmed information.”

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said, “The President has been briefed on the helicopter crash in Manhattan and continues to monitor the situation.”

New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor were killed in 2006 when Liddle’s small plane crashed into a 42-story building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Eighteen people were injured in the crash.

Calpers, the California public employee pension fund, purchased the building in 2016 for $1.9 billion.