ABC News helicopter crashes in New Jersey woods, killing photographer and pilot

A news helicopter operated by WPVI, an ABC-affiliated television station in Philadelphia, crashed in the woods of southern New Jersey, killing two people, the new station said.

A pilot and a photographer were onboard Chopper 6 when it went down in Washington Township Tuesday around 8 p.m. They had just completed an assignment on the Jersey Shore and were on their way back to Philadelphia at the time, according to WPVI.

Despite the remote terrain, which is densely packed with trees, New Jersey State troopers were able to successfully locate the wreckage shortly after midnight. Authorities said the chopper was last recorded airborne over Wharton State Forest and that the debris field was found a few hundred yards from Mullica River Road, in the area of Middle Road and Quaker Bridge Atsion Road.

All three roads have since been closed, WPVI reported, and both people onboard the helicopter at the time of the crash have been pronounced dead.

“It has been a devastating day for the Action News team,” WPVI wrote in an article detailing the crash. It added both victims “have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.”