Pilot killed in helicopter crash in South Brunswick, New Jersey
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A helicopter pilot died after crashing Thursday afternoon in South Brunswick, New Jersey.
Witnesses reported seeing the chopper having trouble, then falling into a lake.
Officials say around 3:30 p.m., a radio transmission and several 911 calls came in reporting a helicopter flying erratically and going down.
"While on duty, I observed a helicopter in front of our station. Looked like it started to lose control. After it started to descend, it disappeared out of the sight line," Kingston Fire Captain Chuck Pizanno said.
Within five minutes, Pizanno and a local police officer got to the chopper, which landed in the Delaware and Raritan Canal, next to Carnegie Lake.
"The tail was sticking out of water, but the cab was underwater, and they were able to rock it backwards and lift it up a little bit and gain access to the pilot. They were able to disentangle him and free him and bring him up onto shore, and unfortunately, his injuries were so severe that he did not survive the crash," South Brunswick Police Lt. Gene Rickle said.
Watch Christine Sloan's report
Divers also checked the body of water to make sure there were no other victims.
Anne O'Neill lives in the area and was getting neighborhood alerts about the incident.
"How on this beautiful day something like that could happen. The sky is clear," she said.
She points out the lake next to the canal is usually busy on a day like this, and thankfully, no one else was injured.
"And then I thought, if it crashed in Lake Carnegie, there's always kayakers in there," O'Neill said.
Police say some reports suggest that while the helicopter was out of control, there may have been pieces that were breaking loose.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
