What I'm hearing is that it was a student pilot who was taking two female friends on a sight seeing tour around the Statue of Liberty...... bearing in mind I've known an FI to forget to change tanks on a PA28 leading to a forced landing - much to his embarrassment when the other tank was found to be holding 60 litres of more), it wouldn't surprise me if this student was too distracted by his friends and forgot to change over / ran out of fuel....