A pilot and a photographer were killed in a helicopter crash on Tuesday night during an assignment for a local news station in New Jersey.
The Philadelphia-based news station 6ABC reported on Wednesday morning that its news helicopter was returning from an assignment on the Jersey Shore when it went down over a state forest, about 30 miles away from the shore, at approximately 8pm on Tuesday night.
A photographer for the station, along with the helicopter’s pilot, were both killed in the crash. Both people had been working for the station for years.
“For now, we are not releasing the names of the crew members who died because family members are still being notified about the crash,” the news station said in a statement posted as a news story on its website. “It has been a devastating day for the Action News team.”
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived on the scene on Tuesday night while investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who will lead the crash’s investigations, are expected to arrive at the sight later on Wednesday.
In a brief morning news segment, 6ABC aired footage taken by a fellow Philadelphia local news station from the crash, showing a fire blazing in the woods.
The news station reported that the helicopter was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS350 AStar that was leased by US Helicopter, a company incorporated in North Carolina. The station noted that the company has “a long history with our station” and has been working with 6ABC’s Action News team for years. US Helicopter has been in touch with the families of the victims.
“You see and hear us talk about Chopper 6 all the time. Chopper 6 and those who fly it are crucial parts of our news operation. You see Chopper 6 fly over breaking news, traffic backups, giving us valuable information. [It’s] able to access areas that are difficult to reach on the ground,” Katherine Scott, a reporter from 6ABC, said during a live news segment from the site of the crash. “Our hearts are absolutely broken for these members of our news team and their families.”
Local TV news reporters expressed their sadness on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday morning.
“Two people who helped bring you the news every day lost their lives while on the job last night,” wrote the anchor Matt O’Donnell. “All of us at 6ABC want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends.”
John Kosich, a reporter from an ABC-affiliate news station in Cleveland, wrote that “as someone who flew everyday for three years in our chopper, the awareness of the risk was always there”.
