The commercial passenger helicopter operated by Zip Aviation of Caldwell touched down on a baseball field behind Middletown High School North, adjacent to Marvin Road, Middletown police said.
The pilot, who is not being identified at this time, saw the field and determined that it would be safe to make the emergency landing after an indicator light came on, police said. He was the only occupant of the helicopter.
There were no students or faculty on the field or the surrounding areas, they said.
Middletown Twp. Public Schools Superintendent Jessica Alfone said:
“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.”
Middletown police said they notified New Jersey State Police at the Regional Operations & Intelligence Center (NJ ROIC), which in turn notified the FAA and the NTSB.
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