Mosquito Helicopter Crashes at Jersey Shore

A helicopter crashed in a Cape May Court House field Monday morning, injuring a county worker.

The crew were scheduled to spray for mosquitoes in the area when the chopper went down in the Boyd Street Athletic field behind Court House Pizza off Route 9. The aircraft's front window was smashed and bits of glass and debris strewn across the grass. The tail was left hanging on the fence of someone's backyard.

"We heard a noise, kind of like — well, imagine a loud fan that was being hit by something," said David Smith, who works at the pizza shop. "We heard the sirens and ran outside and found the chopper on the ground near a house in the soccer field."

Smith says emergency crews were on the scene almost immediately.

Eyewitnesses saw two people taken away in ambulances. Middle Township police confirmed that the pilot and passenger both work for the county's mosquito control department. The passenger was hurt, with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening. The pilot was not hurt.

Three roads were shut off from traffic during the early afternoon — Stites Avenue, Boyd Street and School House. Investigators from Middle Township police, the sheriff's office and the prosecutor's office were on the scene.

A check of government records shows the aircraft is registered to Cape May County Mosquito. The model is a Hiller UH-12E, which is a small or "light" helicopter that can carry up to three people. It's promoted as a "flying pickup truck," according to the manufacturer's website, and used primarily for agriculture, forestry and construction.

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