The Bulgarian who has been a passenger on the US Airways flight that crash-landed in the Hudson River on Thursday has been identified as fashion photographer Nicolay Iliev from New York, different Bulgarian media outlets report.
Nicolay's mother is quoted as saying that her son's rescue has been a miracle and telling the story about Nicolay calling her immediately after being taken out of the river.
Dobrinka Dobreva, who is identified as Nicolay's mother told reporters that she had no idea about the incident because she was watching a different TV channel at the time. When her phone rang, Dobreva saw a US phone number, but did not recognized it. Later she learned Nicolay called her using the phone of one of the rescuers.
It had taken the mother some time before realizing what Nicolay was telling her and that he has just been through a nightmare. Nicolay had informed her that he was alive and explained that he has been on his way to Las Vegas for a photo shoot. He had been in a hurry and because there wasn't a direct flight at the time he arrived at the airport, he had decided to make the transfer in Charlotte.
Nicolay told his mother that the crew and the pilot have been very professional, never told the passengers that the plane was in trouble. "The pilot just told us to fasten our seat belts because we were in for a difficult landing," Nicolay is quoted as saying.
The mother further tells that since receiving the news, her and her other son, have been watching TV all the time in search for updated information. They have not been able to get in touch with Nicolay since that phone call because he has lost his cell phone and laptop in the waters of the Hudson River.
Nicolay's relatives further stated that they wrote a "thank you" letter to the pilot and were contacting the American Embassy in Sofia to obtain the pilot's address.
The Bulgarian Consular Office in New York informed during the weekend that a Bulgarian national has been listed as a passenger on the US Airways flight that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River Thursday,
The Office declined to reveal the name of the person. They said only that he was a businessman with dual citizenship - US and Bulgarian, traveling on business and that he has not been injured during the emergency crash landing, but has suffered a cold and a psychological shock form the incident.
In the mean time, the New York Observer published an article claiming that fashion photographer Nico Iliev had been trying to take advantage of the incident to become more popular.
"This morning the Daily Transom received a press release informing us that fashion photographer Nico Iliev, whose claim to fame is being the personal photographer for the transsexual Amanda Lepore, was on yesterday's water-bound US Airways flight. He survived, obviously. And in case anyone is interested in his unique perspective on the whole incident, his publicist has informed us that he is available for interviews!
"Nico is highly traumatized by the incident, but is available to speak through his life and business partner, Don Rodrigues, for any interviews," the email from Stephen J. Lucin, vice president of grapeVine Public Relations, the publication reads.
The Observer further published Lucin's email letter in full.
The text of the New York Observer article can be found at: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=100555.
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