Two helicopters collided mid air in New Jersey on Sunday, killing at least one and injuring another.
In a post on X, New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way announced the crash, writing, “I have been updated on a mid-air collision involving two helicopters in Hammonton. The Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, Hammonton Police Department, and NJSP personnel are on the scene.”
According to news agency Associated Press, rescuers responded to reports of a crash at around 11.25 am local time over the Hammonton Municipal Airport in Atlantic County. Hammonton is located around 30 miles from the Jersey Shore resort hub of Atlantic City.
Reportedly, an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C chopper collided with each other before crash landing.
Following the crash, police and fire crews were able to extinguish the flames that had engulfed one of the helicopters.
Only the pilots were on board each aircraft, AP reported, adding that one person was killed and another transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.
The identities of the two pilots were not known, at the time of writing this. No other casualties were also reported, despite the crash taking place in a populated area.
Details about the crash are still sparse, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
Social media users react
Videos circulated on social media showed dramatic scenes, with one clip showing a helicopter spinning wildly out of control and crashing.
Other videos showed plumes of smoke from the crash site as alarmed locals tried to make sense of the situation.
Photos shared on social media also showed the burning wreckage of one of the helicopters.
Sunday's crash comes months after a deadly mid-air collision in Washington, D.C., in January this year left 67 dead. In the January crash, a military helicopter had collided with a passenger plane carrying 64 people.
