2 dead after Philadelphia ABC news helicopter crashes in New Jersey woods

A Philadelphia news helicopter crashed in a wooded area of New Jersey on Tuesday night, killing the pilot and a photographer on board, the television station said.

The helicopter was returning to Philadelphia from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when it went down in Washington Township, New Jersey, around 8 p.m., WPVI-TV reported early Wednesday. 

The cause of the crash is under investigation and the pilot and the photographer who died were not identified. 

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

The New Jersey State Park Police received a call just before 11 p.m. Tuesday about a missing helicopter in the area of Wharton State Forest, Chief George Fedorczyk told reporters early Wednesday.

A debris field was discovered shortly after midnight “in a remote location” near Mullica River Road in the area of Middle and Quaker Bridge Atsion roads in Washington Township, he said.

A Federal Aviation Administration representative will conduct an initial assessment this morning, and the scene has been secured by New Jersey State Park Police. 

The FAA said in a statement just two people were on board the chopper — a Eurocopter AS350B2.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. 

An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene to examine the aircraft, and the helicopter will be moved to a “secure facility for further evaluation,” the agency said. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.