Tristan Hill, one of five people who were killed in a fatal helicopter crash in the East River, was only 76 days from his wedding.
Tristan Hill, one of five people who were killed Sunday in a fatal sightseeing helicopter crash in the East River, was a lifelong basketball fan who ran youth skills camps and even worked for the Knicks.
The 29-year-old Hill was also just months from his wedding. He was to marry Eda Ozmen, a yoga instructor who lives in Chelsea.
The two both worked as executives for Sightsy, a start-up dedicated to online ticket sales for tourists.
They hailed from Nevada and were to be married in Reno on May 26. “You have my heart, you nutty nomad!” Ozmen wrote on Facebook, alongside a photo of her and Hill at Burning Man in the Nevada desert.
Journalist, tourists among dead in East River helicopter crash
A relative of Ozmen’s answered the door of her Chelsea apartment. Ozmen briefly appeared, her eyes red and swollen, but only shook her head.
“I don’t think… we’re really not ready for anything. We just came back from the morgue,” the relative said.
Hill played basketball for Missouri Valley and maintained his love for the game. He recently worked for the Knicks’ D-League affiliate in Westchester and had organized a basketball camp in Reno for 120 kids.
“Tristan was full of life. He always had a smile on his face. He was the life of anything that he did,” said Chip Lance, who coached Hill for two years at Missouri Valley.
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“He was a bit of a free spirit and an entrepreneur… He was headed in a great direction he was an inspiration to everyone. He was always extremely positive and had a great outlook.
“He was a huge people person. He never met a stranger,” the coach added.
Hill and Luke Babbitt, the 16th pick in the 2010 NBA draft now on the Miami Heat, played together in high school.
A bio on the website for the basketball camp that Hill organized details his lifelong love of the game.
“Deeply passionate and driven, Tristan would often go to… middle school 90 minutes beforehand to work on his game as early as 7th grade,” his bio reads.
“Over the years, Tristan has developed a strong feel for the game and has always had a deadly jump shot.”
