(NewsNation) — A photographer and pilot died after a Philadelphia news helicopter crashed in a New Jersey forest Tuesday night.
WPVI’s helicopter had been returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when it went down in the area of Wharton State Forest around 8 p.m., NewsNation’s Philadelphia affiliate WPHL reported.
New Jersey State Police troopers found the crash site on the ground, though WPHL wrote that it was hard to access because of its location in the woods.
The names of those who died are not yet being released, but WPVI writes that they had a “long history with the station” and had been working with the Action News team for years.
“Our hearts are just broken for these men. They’re broken for their families,” reporter Katherine Scott said Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
At the wreckage site, video taken from a WTXF-TV helicopter shows scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking.
Chopper 6 was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR. It had been leased from U.S. Helicopters Inc., based in North Carolina, WPHL said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that an investigator from the agency was traveling to the scene.
“Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft,” The NTSB said. “The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.”
A preliminary report should be available within 30 days, the NTSB said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
