1 Killed After Helicopters Collide Mid-Air In South Jersey

HAMMONTON, NJ — Two helicopters collided Sunday in Hammonton, leaving one person dead and another with life-threatening injuries.

An Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C crashed in mid-air around 11:25 a.m. Sunday near the Hammonton Municipal Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Only the pilots were on board, the agency said.

Emergency crews extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters, according to Police Chief Kevin Friel, who said in an email that the crash occurred in the 100 block of Basin Road.

Sal Silipino, owner of a cafe near the crash site, said the pilots were regulars at the restaurant and would often have breakfast together. He said he and other customers watched the helicopters take off before one began spiraling downward, followed by the other.

“It was shocking,” he said. “I’m still shaking after that happened.”

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.