Pilot and Photographer Die After Philadelphia ABC Station's Helicopter Crashes in New Jersey Forest

The 2 news crew members were returning from an assignment along the Jersey Shore when the crash occurred, the station said

Two people have died after a news helicopter crashed into a wooded area of New Jersey on Tuesday.

A pilot and a photographer were “returning from an assignment” along the Jersey Shore when the aircraft crashed in Washington Township, according to Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI-TV.

As of Wednesday morning, the victims’ identities have not been released to the public, although the station said the pilot and photographer had “a long history” with them and had been “working as part of the Action News team for years.”

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The helicopter, which was leased through U.S. Helicopters Inc. in North Carolina, was flying above Wharton State Forest before it went down, per the station.

Crews were alerted to the crash just before 11 p.m. local time, New Jersey State Park Police Chief George Fedorczyk said, according to CNN and NBC News.

New Jersey State Park Police said a debris field was found “a few hundred yards from Mullica River Road” near Middle Road and Quaker Bridge Atsion Road around midnight, per WPVI-TV.

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“It has been a devastating day for the Action News team,” the station said in a statement.

Washington Township Police and New Jersey State Park Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

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U.S. Helicopters Inc., which owns the 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR involved in the crash, has been in touch with the families impacted by the tragedy, according to WPVI-TV.

The cause of Tuesday’s crash, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board, is under investigation.

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