One person is dead and another is hospitalized with critical, life-threatening injuries after two helicopters collided in midair and crashed in New Jersey.
Police in Hammonton — about 30 miles outside Philadelphia — said they were alerted around 11:25 a.m. local time on Sunday, Dec. 28, after receiving reports of an aviation crash involving two helicopters near Basin Road and North White Horse Pike.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told in a statement that the aircraft were an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter, both small, light, piston-engine helicopters. Each helicopter was carrying only one person: the pilot.
Police said both helicopters came down to the ground, with one catching fire. Local officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded and extinguished the flames.
In a statement shared on X later Sunday, New Jersey Lt. Governor Tahesha Way said the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, the Hammonton Police Department and the New Jersey State Police were among the agencies that responded to the crash.
“There is confirmed one fatality at this point and one subject transported by EMS with critical life-threatening injuries,” police said.
Local resident Dan Dameshek, 34, told NBC News he had just left a nearby gym when he heard a “loud snap” that he compared to a car crash. Video obtained by NBC showed a helicopter spinning as it lost altitude, and footage from 6ABC Philadelphia showed smoke rising after the impact.
“I turned around and saw one helicopter go from right side up to upside down and dive into the ground,” Dameshek said. “For a second, it looked like the other helicopter was OK, then I heard another smack like metal slapping metal, and it started spinning out of control and that’s what you see on the video.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are expected to investigate. The FAA said it will release a preliminary incident report within the next business day.
Authorities also asked the public to avoid the area while emergency crews continue working at the scene.
