PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A news helicopter has crashed in a forest in New Jersey, killing both the pilot and photographer on board, the television station said.
“A pilot and a photographer from our news team were in the helicopter when it went down while returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore” on Tuesday night, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia reported. “Both crew members were killed.”
The station did not release their names pending notification of family members.
“Our hearts are just broken for these men. They’re broken for their families,” reporter Katherine Scott said Wednesday morning, reporting from near the scene of the crash.
The crash happened sometime after 8 p.m. in woods in Wharton State Forest, in Hammonton, New Jersey, the station said.
Video taken from a WTXF-TV helicopter over the wreckage site showed scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
New Jersey State Park Police found the wreckage early Wednesday, just over an hour after receiving a call that a helicopter was missing, said George Fedorczyk, chief of the department. An official with the Federal Aviation Administration arrived shortly after 3 a.m.
“Due to the remote location of the scene and the limited visibility, it was determined at that point that the investigation would be suspended until sometime after daybreak,” Fedorczyk said at a morning news conference. “Know that our thoughts are with the pilots, their families and the media community.”
He said the National Transportation Safety Board was taking over the investigation and sending officials to the site.
WPVI-TV reported that it leases the helicopter from U.S. Helicopters Inc., which is based in North Carolina. A spokesperson said company officials were not prepared to comment Wednesday morning.
Emails seeking comment were sent Wednesday to New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police and the FAA.
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