1 Killed, 1 Injured in NJ Helicopter Collision

One person was killed and another was critically injured when two helicopters collided midair and crashed in Hammonton, a town in southern New Jersey's Atlantic County, on Sunday morning.

The incident occurred around 11:25 a.m. near the 100 block of Basin Road, less than three miles from Hammonton Municipal Airport. Officials reported that both helicopters were carrying only pilots at the time of the collision. Eyewitness video captured one of the aircraft spinning rapidly out of control before descending, followed by a large plume of smoke rising from the site. The crash prompted a swift emergency response, with firefighters extinguishing flames that engulfed one of the helicopters while crews searched a nearby wooded area for the second.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel stated that rescuers arrived shortly after the initial report and transported the surviving pilot to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. Scanner audio from Atlantic County Fire and EMS indicated urgency at the scene, with dispatchers calling for extrication efforts and an expedited response to confirm injuries. One voice on the audio noted two confirmed patients, while responders established a...