I've been watching this thread since the start but have only just felt the need to say something. Sorry KiwiNedNZ but these are pure and simple tourist flights looking for that bit extra, be that hanging out or just better shots. Have you ever sat in the middle 2 seats of a Squirrel? Difficult to get any photos of the wonderful NYC skyline.
Just look at NYONs website for the proof of where they think the market is.
I used to live in Central Manhattan just a few blocks from the East River and spent many an hour just watching the helicopters coming and going. Not many tourist helicopters as they mainly used the Hudson. But sunset shots of NJ aren't as good so that's why this tourist flight was over the East River on a Sunday.
As SASless said earlier there is a different mind set in the US in that if it doesn't say I can't then I can and will. In a ideal world they would have been fully trained and briefed in emersion suits with quick release harnesses, all in a nice big twin but no market for that due to the high cost.
Going forward will anything happen, probably not. Just maybe they will stop the front seat using a harness if that was found to be the cause of the ditching.