By: Richard L. Smith
In a late-night emergency operation, New Jersey State Park Police were alerted at 10:55 p.m. Tuesday about a missing helicopter near Wharton State Forest.
Officials said a subsequent search led to a grim discovery - a helicopter crash site was located in Washington Township, Burlington County, around the Mullica River Road area at 12:02 a.m. today.
WPVI 6ABC anchors confirmed this morning that one of the victims was one of their photojournalists, and the other person was the pilot.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials reached the crash site at 3:15 a.m. for an initial evaluation.
However, the challenging conditions, marked by the remote location and poor visibility at night, have led to the suspension of a detailed investigation until after daybreak.
Currently, the crash scene is being secured by the State Park Police, with additional support from the NJDEP Forest Fire Service, New Jersey State Police, and Hammonton Township Police. Local roads within the forest, including Quaker Bridge Road, Mullica River Road, and Middle Road, all of which are unpaved, have been closed to facilitate the ongoing operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been informed of the incident and is set to take over the investigation.
The situation remains developing, and more information is expected to be released following the resumption of the investigation.
