This is the tragic moment two helicopters collided in mid-air in an accident that claimed the life of American singer Oliver Tree.
The crash, that killed six people, occurred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday morning.
The helicopters crashed into the parking lot of an electric car dealership, igniting a fire that engulfed at least 20 vehicles.
The footage shows the two aircraft crashing before spiraling towards the ground.
Other newly released surveillance footage also surfaced showing one of the helicopters plummeting to the ground as it spins wildly.
Dramatic photos and videos have emerged showing the aftermath of the crash, with the mangled helicopters lying over smashed cars and burnt-out vehicles in the electric car dealership’s parking lot.
The other victims have been identified as Gaspar Prim, who is also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi, Lucas Vignale, Lucas Brito Chaves Frota, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Gaspi was just 23 years old and a highly popular content creator in his country. He had nearly three million subscribers on YouTube, where his videos collectively garnered tens of millions of views.
Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how the accident unfolded.
The footage shows the two aircraft crashing before spiraling towards the ground
New surveillance footage has surfaced showing one of the helicopters plummeting to the ground as it spins wildly
Dramatic photos and videos have emerged showing the aftermath of the crash, with the mangled helicopters lying over smashed cars
Tree was best known for his viral songs that were popular on social media and his eccentric outfits and hairstyles
Tree was seen playing soccer, cooking, getting his bangs trimmed and showing off a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy
‘Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary.
‘We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened,’ he said.
Contreiras said rescue workers had discovered one helicopter in flames among the electric cars, with five victims inside.
A second helicopter found around 330ft away was carrying only the pilot, who also died. The accident took place in the suburb of Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
One witness described seeing a helicopter in flames after the collision and saw a passenger jump to his death from the other aircraft before both hit the ground.
‘It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,’ tyre worker Fernandes de Freitas said.
Images in local media showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the car dealership, where several vehicles were on fire.
Contreiras said the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a higher death toll.
‘Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,’ he said.
Oliver Tree was a California native born in Santa Cruz. His music was highly popular on social media, and he was known for his eccentric outfits and hairstyles.
He was in the midst of a world tour promoting his most recent studio album when the tragic accident occurred.
The tour began in Mexico City on May 30 and was slated to have stops in China, Japan, Antarctica, New Zealand and South Africa.
Tree had been seen joyously travelling through Brazil on the trip of a lifetime in a series of bittersweet videos posted online in the hours before he died.
He had shared poignant footage of himself playing football as World Cup fever sweeps across the South American country, which has won the championship five times.
Tree was also filmed cooking steaks, riding a motorbike through Rio and singing with local influencers in videos captioned ‘American for the 1st time in Brazil’ and ‘Gringo 24 horas no Brasil.’
Pilots Alexandre Souza (L) and Charles Marsillac (R) are among the six victims of the collision
Argentinian influencer Gaspar Prim (L) and DJ Lucas Frota died in the crash
Argentinian director Lucas Vignale also died in the helicopter crash
Just hours before the crash, Tree posted a video to his Instagram from Rio de Janeiro that he made with Brazilian content creator Iae Break. He captioned the post, ‘American for the 1st time in Brazil.’
Tree was seen playing soccer, cooking, getting his bangs trimmed and showing off a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy.
On Sunday afternoon, Break posted a series of photos of himself with Tree and wrote in Portuguese, ‘I can’t believe you guys are gone.’
Tributes from other celebrities have also started pouring in on social media.
YouTuber and musician Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, known online as KSI, wrote on X: ‘Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32 man. You should still be here. You still had so much life to live. So much music to make.’
‘So much content to make. You’re a legend and will always be a legend. Still doesn’t feel real. Genuinely feel sick. I love you bro.’
Tree’s ex-girlfriend, singer Melanie Martinez, said she was an ‘absolute wreck’ after hearing the news.
Writing on her Instagram story, the artist said: ‘It’s really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life can all of a sudden be gone. He was so dedicated to his art which I admired and respected deeply.’
‘I think everyone who knew him will look back at those moments of laughter and joy he so easily sparked,’ she added.
She finished with: ‘Rest in peace Oliver. I know you’re making the angels giggle. I’ll be here wondering what stunt and creative project you’re scheming up in heaven.’
Burnt-out vehicles were seen in the electric car dealership’s parking lot
Tributes from celebrities have started pouring in on social media. YouTuber and musician KSI shared this tweet
Tree’s ex-girlfriend, singer Melanie Martinez, said she was an ‘absolute wreck’ after hearing the news
Writing on her Instagram story, the artist said: ‘It’s really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life can all of a sudden be gone
Tree had been seen joyously travelling through Brazil on the trip of a lifetime in a series of bittersweet videos posted online
Hit rapper Lil Yachty, whose real name is Miles Parks McCollum, posted an Instagram story with a picture of himself with Tree and wrote: ‘Man, rest in peace friend.’
Singer Bebe Rexha posted on X: ‘I’m in shock. I was in the middle of my cd signing in nyc when I found the news of Oliver tree. I can’t believe it. We recorded a record together to be on dirty blonde. He was so smart. Passionate. Talented. Kind. I’m so sad. May he rest in peace.’
Brazilian content creator Akihito who was with Tree just last week, wrote in a message (translated from Portuguese) on his Instagram Stories: ‘I’m so sorry to all of Oliver’s family and friends because he was very loved, incredible, and talented.’
Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song When I’m Down went viral, and he released his first studio album, Ugly is Beautiful, in July of 2020.
He published three more studio albums since then, with his fourth, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, recently being released on April 24, 2026. The album was entirely self-produced.
Tree’s music videos have collectively garnered more than a billion views just on YouTube. His two most popular songs on the platform, Life Goes On and Miss You, earned 464 million views and 382 million views, respectively.
Life Goes On was used in more than 3.7 million TikTok videos, and Miss You was used in around 1.5 million videos on the platform, making his music ubiquitous, even among those who did not know of the artist.
