Officials said six people died after two helicopters collided over western Rio de Janeiro.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning, crashed in the city’s western zone and killed all six people aboard, firefighters said, as police worked to identify victims listed on flight records.
American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was on a passenger list given to aviation authorities, police said. Officials had not confirmed the identities of the bodies because of the condition of the remains. The crash drew attention across Brazil, Argentina and the United States because several people listed or reported aboard were performers or online creators with large followings.
Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one helicopter crashed into the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked. The impact set off a fire that crews later extinguished. Officials said the aircraft went down after colliding in midair over the western part of the city. Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker who saw the crash, said one helicopter was already burning after the collision. “It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” De Freitas said. He said he also saw a person jump from one of the aircraft before it hit the ground.
Authorities said the cause of the collision remained under investigation Sunday. They did not immediately release a final list of confirmed victims. Police said Tree’s name was on the passenger list submitted to aviation authorities, but investigators still needed formal identification. Argentine streaming channel Blender said content creator Gaspar Prim Díaz, known online as Gaspi, was in one of the helicopters. The channel said in a statement that those who knew his work would miss his “art,” “magic” and “sensibility.” Gaspi was 23 and had more than 2.8 million YouTube followers.
The crash site included burned vehicles, scattered aircraft debris and emergency crews moving through the dealership area. Photos from the scene showed people comforting one another near the wreckage as police and firefighters worked around the lot. Officials said one helicopter struck the dealership area after the midair collision. Other reports from the scene said the second aircraft also came down in the western zone. The number of people on each aircraft was not immediately confirmed by Brazilian authorities in the first official accounts.
Tree, whose full name is Oliver Tree Nickell, had recently been in South America. He performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4 and posted a video Saturday showing him playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood. The 32-year-old performer is known for songs including “Life Goes On,” “Miss You” and “Alien Boy,” along with an eccentric public style that mixed music, comedy and internet performance. His presence on the passenger list made the crash a major entertainment story even before authorities completed formal identification of the dead.
Investigators are expected to review flight records, aircraft maintenance information, communications and video from the area as they work to determine how the helicopters came together in the air. Officials did not announce charges or point to a cause Sunday. The immediate work centered on securing the site, recovering evidence and identifying the six people killed. Aviation crash investigations can take time, especially when fire damages aircraft parts and record systems.
By Monday, authorities had confirmed the death toll at six and said the inquiry into the collision was continuing. The next milestone is the formal identification of the victims and the release of more findings on the helicopters’ routes before impact.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.