A news helicopter crashed on Tuesday night in Washington Township, New Jersey, killing two who were returning to base from an assignment at the Jersey Shore.
The 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR operating as ABC News Philadelphia affiliate Action News’ Chopper 6 crashed at about 8 p.m. in the area of Wharton State Forest.
A New Jersey state park police officer located and confirmed a debris field near River Road in Burlington County.
North Carolina-based U.S. Helicopters Inc. owns the helicopter. Federal investigators responded.
Authorities said the pilot and a photographer who worked for ABC’s Action News Team were the only ones on board.
The pilot was 67-year-old Monroe Smith of Glenside, Pennsylvania. and the photographer was 45-year-old Christopher Dougherty of Oreland, Pennsylvania, according to ABC Action News 6.
Investigators said they had been returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when the crash happened around 8 p.m.
WPVI reports the two crew members have a long history with the station, having worked as part of the action news team for years.
Authorities said the chopper took off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport before 7:30 p.m. and the crew flew to an assignment near Galloway Township, New Jersey.
Flight tracker data shows the helicopter’s altitude dropping while returning to Philadelphia. Chopper 6 was last airborne over Wharton State Forest before it crashed in a remote section of the woods.
A helicopter from an ABC Philadelphia television station captured video of the wreckage. Scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, could be seen as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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