A 6ABC news helicopter from Philadelphia crashed Tuesday night in a heavily wooded area in New Jersey, killing the pilot and a photographer, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m. near Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Mullica River Road, a section of Wharton State Forest in Washington Township.

The helicopter was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, which 6abc leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. based in North Carolina, the news station said.

“We know that a pilot and a photographer from our news team went down with Chopper 6 while returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore,” WPVI’s news station, 6ABC, said on its website early Wednesday.

The names of the victims were not released pending notification of families.

“They have a long history with our station. They’ve been working as part of the Action News team for years,” Katherine Scott, general assignment reporter for 6ABC, said in a report from Washington Township.

New Jersey State Park Police located the wreckage deep in a wooded area a few hundred yards off Mullica River Road shortly after midnight, according to George Fedorczyk, chief of the NJ State Park Police.

The initial call about the crash came at 10:50 p.m. and the crash scene was located just after midnight, he said.

“A New Jersey State Park Police Officer located and confirmed a debris field a few hundred yards off of Mullica River Road in Washington Township, Burlington County,” Fedorczyk said.

A representative for the Federal Aviation Administration was on the scene at 3:15 a.m.

“At this time, the scene is being secured by the New Jersey State Park Police with the assistance of the New Jersey Forest fire service, the New Jersey State Police and the Hammonton Township Police Department,” Fedorczyk said.

Quaker Bridge Road, Mullica River Road and Middle Road were all closed as the investigation continues, Fedorczyk said.

Flight tracking data shows the helicopter took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 7:23 p.m., flew directly to Smithville and circled over the historic town before crashing on its return path to the airport. The helicopter logged at five other flights earlier that day, according to FlightRadar24.com. The helicopter was built in 2013.

The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C., is leading the investigation, along with state officials and local police.

“An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene,” said Jennifer Gabris, spokeswoman for the government agency, said Wednesday morning.

“Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation,” Gabris said.

Gabris said information gathered by the NTSB will include flight-track data, air traffic control recordings, and a 72-hour background check of the pilot “to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight.”

The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report on the cause of the crash within 30 days, Gabris said.

Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land within New Jersey’s state park system and is nestled in the heart of the Pinelands National Reserve, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The State Park police investigation is staged at the Atsion Mansion.