News helicopter crashes in New Jersey, killing 2

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A pilot and news photographer were killed in the Philadelphia area when a news helicopter crashed Tuesday night, according to local media reports.

Chopper 6 from WPVI-TV in Philadelphia went down in Washington Township, New Jersey just after 8 p.m., according to a report on the station’s website. The crew was returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore.

The station reported it was not releasing the names of the crew members who died because family members had not yet been notified.

“They have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years,” the station said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

A helicopter from a fellow Philadelphia television station captured video of the wreckage. The video was posted to the WPVI-TV website, showing scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, which could be seen as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.

The National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the crash site at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday and took control of the investigation,” the station reported.

Chopper 6 was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, which WPVI-TV leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. based in North Carolina, according to the station.