Police responded and found that the commercial passenger helicopter had touched down on a baseball field that is at the rear of the school, adjacent to Marvin Road. The helicopter, operated by Zip Aviation of Caldwell, New Jersey had experienced an in-flight issue where an indicator light had come on. There were no passengers on the helicopter at the time. The pilot, who is not being identified at this time, observed the field and determined that it would be safe to make the emergency landing.
There were no students or faculty on the field or the surrounding areas. According to Middletown Twp. Public Schools Superintendent Jessica Alfone, “This incident is obviously an unusual one. Our school’s faculty and staff acted swiftly to confirm that no students or other personnel were harmed. The incident had no impact on class scheduling, and we are not anticipating any interference with dismissal or after school activities. We are thankful that the pilot was not harmed.”
Chief of Police R. Craig Weber stated, “This incident demonstrates both the professionalism and close working relationship between the Middletown school district and our Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services and our collaborative effort to quickly respond to this unanticipated emergency.” Middletown Police notified the New Jersey State Police at the Regional Operations & Intelligence Center (NJ ROIC), which in turn notified the FAA and the NTSB.
