An Israeli pilot was killed in a helicopter crash in New Jersey on Thursday evening, the Israeli Consulate in New York confirmed on Friday.
The Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with the 44-year-old's family regarding the transportation of his remains to Israel for burial purposes.
Local news outlets confirmed the time and location of the crash in South Brunswick, New Jersey. According to CBS New York, officials said that around 3:30 p.m., a radio transmission and several 911 calls came in reporting a helicopter flying erratically and going down.
The helicopter, a one-seated, single-engine Robinson R22, crashed in the Delaware and Raritan Canal near Carnegie Lake, according to local media.
First responders arrive on the scene, attempt to revive pilot
ABC7 New York reported that first responders were on the scene within five minutes of receiving the calls, but the pilot was already dead when they arrived and the helicopter was crushed, upside down in the water.
They performed CPR on the pilot to no avail. Responders then searched the water to determine if the pilot was alone, which he was.
The US Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, according to local media.
Eyewitnesses told CBS News that the cause of the crash was not immediately evident as the sky was clear. Police say, according to CBS, that there may have been pieces of the craft that were breaking loose in flight.