The Statue of Liberty disappears

As kids, we enjoyed watching magic shows. Magic tricks still fascinate us. How about the following?

A magician made the Statue of Liberty disappear and then reappear again. This was done before the eyes of a live audience and millions of TV viewers.

A helicopter hovered overhead to give an aerial view of the illusion. The statue appeared to have vanished and only the circle of lights surrounding it was still present and visible.

How did the magician perform this illusion?