ABC Action News photographer and pilot killed in New Jersey helicopter crash

Colleages at 6ABC devastated after two crew members died after Action News chopper crashed in New Jersey

A 6ABC Action News chopper has crashed into a wooded area of New Jersey, killing both crew members on board.

The pilot and the photographer part of the 6ABC team were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore on Tuesday night when the helicopter crashed, the news outlet announced.

6ABC has not yet released the names of the two crew members as family members are still being notified, but have said both of them “have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.”

The helicopter went down sometime after 8pm in the area of Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Middle Road in Washington Township in Burlington County.

The chopper was last believed to be in the area over Wharton State Forest when it crashed.

CBS caputed footage of fire coming from the crash scene (CBS)

While New Jersey State Police troopers were able to locate the crash site, it was difficult to access due to the densely wooded location, the station reported.

Video of the chopper wreckage was captured by a fellow Philadelphia television station.

The US Helicopters Inc. has been in touch with the two families of the people killed in the crash, and the FAA has been notified and will investigate what happened.

What seems to be debris from the chopper was spotted at the crash site (6ABC)

It is currently unclear what caused the crash.

The helicopter was a 10-year-old American Eurocopter AS-360A-STAR, which 6ABC leases from US Helicopters Inc.

The chopper and those who manned it would capture footage for the station, such as areas that are difficult to reach, weather, beauty shots, and traffic backup, all of which the station said were essential to delivering news stories.

Action News anchor Matt O’Donnell expressed his condolences on X.

The chopper and the staff is an integral part to 6ABC’s news coverage (6ABC)

“Two people who helped bring you the news every day lost their lives while on the job last night Chopper 6 crashed in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey,” he said.

“All of us at 6abc want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends.”

The crash comes just over a year later, when a WBTV chopper crashed in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag in November 2022.