By Anne Levin

A man was killed Thursday afternoon, August 31, in a helicopter crash in South Brunswick, near the Princeton border. The crash happened near Route 27, Euclid Avenue, and Academy Street. The helicopter had taken off from Princeton Airport on Route 206 in Montgomery.

According to Lt. Gene Rickle of the South Brunswick Police Department, it appears that the man was the only victim of the incident.

“At about 4:25 p.m. this afternoon, we got multiple calls from people, including a captain with the fire department in town, regarding a helicopter that appeared to be having some problems,” Rickle said. “We dispatched a unit, and the fire captain managed to locate a helicopter that had crashed in a remote body of water in Kingston. When we approached, we were able to see part of the operator submerged in the water, still inside the helicopter. We were able to get him out. They brought him to shore, and checked his injuries, which were severe, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene.”

The man’s identity has not been released.

“As this remains under investigation, and until we can confirm his identity and make contact with his next of kin, we are not releasing information other than saying it was a male,” Rickle said.

Update: 

On Friday morning, September 1, Rickle issued an email stating that the pilot has been identified as Josef Yitzhak, age 44, of Israel.

South Brunswick Police worked with the Israeli Consulate and Israeli police to notify his family overnight.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.