HAMMONTON, N.J. (AP) — Two helicopters crashed midair in New Jersey on Sunday, killing one person and critically injuring another, authorities say.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews subsequently extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.
The Federal Aviation Administration described the crash as a midair collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and Enstrom 280C helicopter over Hammonton Municipal Airport. Only the pilots were on board each aircraft.
One person was killed and another was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Hammonton is a town of about 15,000 people located in Atlantic County in the southern part of New Jersey, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia. The town has a history of agriculture and is located near the Pine Barrens, a forested wilderness area that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares).
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash, Friel said.
Investigators will likely first look to review any communications between the two pilots and whether they were able to see each other, said Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for the FAA and NTSB.
“Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call ‘see and avoid,’” Diehl said. “Clearly they’ll be looking at the out-of-cockpit views of the two aircraft and seeing if one pilot was approaching from the blind side.”
Although it was mostly cloudy at the time of the crash, winds were light and visibility was good, according to the weather forecasting company AccuWeather.
Debris from a helicopter is shown after two helicopters crashed in Hammonton, N.J., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)
Authorities look over the scene after two helicopters crashed in Hammonton, N.J., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Zinedine Zidane watched again and Riyad Mahrez scored again as Algeria reached the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Mahrez took his tally to three goals in two games with a penalty in the 23rd minute. The ball went one way, the goalkeeper the other, and it was enough for the Fennec Foxes to advance to the knockout stage with a maximum six points in Group E.
It came as a relief for the many Algeria fans who had made the relatively short trip to the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat. The team went out after the group stage in both editions after winning the 2019 title in Egypt.
The spot kick was awarded by referee Daniel Laryea Nii Ayi after Rayan Aït-Nouri tumbled as he was trying to go past Burkinabe defender Ismahila Ouédraogo.
Algeria dominated the ball and the Stallions had more chances without really troubling Zidane’s son Luca in the Algeria goal until he was tested by Lassina Traoré in the 83rd.
Cyriaque Irié might have equalized in stoppage time but his header went straight to the Algeria goalkeeper, who has been given a chance to shine for the country of his grandfather because of a knee injury to Alexandre Oukidja, who would likely have started.
There was a cheer when the big screens showed the senior Zidane, the France great, watching while well wrapped up against the cold. He was also present for Algeria's opening win over Sudan.
Algeria defender Samir Chergui, only recently back from a hamstring problem, had to go off before the hour-mark with what looked like another leg injury.
Burkina Faso stayed second in the group on three points, after its opening win over Equatorial Guinea.
Earlier, Sudan – which is playing despite a brutal war at home – revived its chances of progression with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca.
“Our ambition is to win the title, not just to achieve a single victory,” Sudan coach James Kwesi Appiah said.
Sudan faces Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday with a place in the last 16 at stake. The top two progress from each group, along with the best third-place finishers.
Defending champion Ivory Coast faces five-time winner Cameroon later in Group F, where Mozambique boosted its hopes of progression with a 3-2 win over Gabon.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
Algeria's Riyad Karim Mahrez, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Burkina Faso in Fez, Morocco, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Algeria's Riyad Karim Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Burkina Faso in Fez, Morocco, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Algeria's Riyad Karim Mahrez controls the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Burkina Faso in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Algeria's goalkeeper Luca Zidane kicks the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Burkina Faso in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
