1 dead in helicopter crash in central New Jersey

The pilot of a small helicopter was killed when it crashed Saturday in a central New Jersey cornfield, authorities said. (WABC Photo)

  Eyewitness NewsWEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- A retired New York City police officer was killed Saturday when the small helicopter he was piloting crashed in a central New Jersey cornfield, authorities said.

Michael Scarfia, 65, of Staten Island, N.Y., was identified by West Windsor police as the pilot of the Aerospatiale AS355 twin-engine helicopter that went down shortly after noon in West Windsor. Scarfia apparently was the only person aboard.

The aircraft burst into flames upon impact, but no one on the ground was injured, authorities said.

"By diverting his failing helicopter into the cornfield and away from crowded shopping malls, he again showed his bravery and dedication to others," West Windsor police Lt. Robert Garofalo said in a news release.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Garofalo said several people reported that a flock of birds appeared to make contact with the helicopter shortly before it crashed. He said authorities still were investigating those reports Saturday evening.

"Eyewitnesses said they saw pieces of (the helicopter) coming apart, including the main rotor of the helicopter itself," Garofalo said during an earlier news conference held near the crash scene.

Several witnesses also reported hearing grinding noises and possible explosions shortly before the helicopter went down in the field near Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road in the Mercer County community.

Authorities said the pilot did not report any trouble or make any emergency transmissions.

It was not immediately clear where the helicopter was headed or where it had departed from.

Besides West Windsor police, the Federal Aviation Administration and New Jersey state police were also investigating the accident.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE OFTHE CRASH.

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NJ gov says he doesn't regret helicopter use

  Eyewitness NewsTRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in a nationally televised interview Tuesday that criticism over his decision to use a state police helicopter to attend two of his son's baseball games and a political event would not prevent him from doing so again, but he would pay for the rides upfront.

In a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, the governor said he would make the same decision in using the month-old, $12.5 million helicopter but would pay for the ride on the front end to prevent any bad public perception.

Democrats have called for hearings to look into the Republican governor's personal use of the perk and have called Christie a hypocrite for wasteful spending.

Christie said in the interview that he reimbursed the state after using the helicopter to shuttle from the Statehouse to the ballpark because he thought it was important to let the public know he wasn't using the aircraft "as a perk of public office."

Morgan interviewed Christie at his home, at Livingston High School where Christie went to school, and at the Ritz Diner in Livingston. Morgan also spoke with Christie's son, Andrew, who said he was just happy to have his dad at the game.

A rising star in the Republican Party, Christie has turned down repeated pleas to run for president in 2012.

He said no one in the current field of GOP candidates for president has distinguished himself or herself enough for him to publically back at this point.

"A lot of those folks impress me personally but none of them have emerged in my mind yet as the best option," Christie said. "I don't think any of them have yet distinguished themselves to say this is the best person, not only to take on Barack Obama but, more importantly, to lead our nation in the next four years after this election."

Morgan asked Christie's wife, Mary Pat, if her husband would make a great president, and she didn't hesitate in saying he would.

She said her husband was the best communicator she knows.

Asked what he felt most guilty about, the heavy-set governor said it was his weight. Christie said he'd be much happier personally and for his children if he could get that under control.

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NJ's top cop asked to explain gov's helicopter use

  By ANGELA DELLI SANTI and BETH DeFALCOTRENTON -- Writing a check to cover the cost of two helicopter flights to his son's baseball games seemed to do little to quiet criticism over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's use of the gubernatorial perk.

Now, a legislator has requested that the head of the New Jersey State Police testify before a legislative committee examining Christie's use of state police helicopters for transportation.

A letter was sent Friday from Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, chairwoman of the Homeland Security Committee, to state police Superintendent Rick Fuentes.

Quijano's committee wants to find out who approves helicopter travel, the standards for approval and how flight arrangements are made, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Pres.

"Based on the limited information released from your office, it appears one of the flights was for the governor to attend a charity event at his wife's employer, one flight appears to be just for the lieutenant governor, a couple flights were apparently for TV appearances, and lastly, a couple of flights appear to be for transporting support staff to Atlantic City and the Meadowlands," Quijano wrote.

On Friday, the governor's office declined to release more information on the trips.

"The list we've provided speaks for itself," Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said.

The Assembly hearing is set for June 14. A spokesman for Fuentes said he had not yet received the letter.

Christie and the Republican State Committee reimbursed taxpayers $3,383 for personal and political trips the governor took in the past week.

His office released a log showing that Christie or his staff used the helicopter 35 times. The most common use was for trips to New York City, which were made on nine occasions - including two for media interviews.

Christie took to the podium Thursday using a "good father" defense, saying he didn't make a political calculation about using helicopter to see his son's games and was simply "dealing with the realities of life."

He woke up Friday to stinging editorials for his unapologetic tone; Christie had blamed the story on media theatrics "driven by political hacks who want to score cheap points."

"This is a governor who holds a press conference every time he catches a public official eating lobster on the public dime, or getting free rides on E-ZPass," The Star-Ledger editorial board wrote.

Many residents felt the same.

"If other people did what he did, he would complain about it, saying they were abusing their privileges," said Dan Walker, a 58-year-old computer analyst from Spotswood. "He has no right to complain about anyone else after doing what he did."

At the news conference, Christie said a schedule he couldn't control on Tuesday prompted him to take the helicopter, but police in Montvale said the governor's office made arrangements on Friday for him to fly. Three local police officers were on hand to ensure the landing was safe for the governor and pedestrians in the area.

"From the get-go, he should have taken his money, not our money," said Latisha Dotson, a 31-year-old Camden resident who manages a store. "What else is he doing with our money?"

But others felt the connection to his duties as a father.

"He's trying to be the best he could as a dad and a politician, and make both of those situations work," said Joe Smith, a 38-year-old computer contractor from Basking Ridge. Smith said regardless of Christie's brash remarks Thursday, reimbursing the state was an implicit admission that he'd made a mistake.

The governor's brother used Facebook on Friday to call on Democrats to pass pension and benefits reforms as quickly as they threatened to hold hearings to look into the legality of helicopter use.

"Those issues," Todd Christie wrote, "would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars."

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Christie takes helicopter to son's ball game

Web produced by Bob Monek, Eyewitness NewsMONTVALE, N.J. (WABC) -- It's the picture that has everyone in New Jersey talking today.

Governor Chris Christie getting out of a 12 and a half million dollar state police helicopter.

Not to tour flood damage or any other disaster, but to go to his son's baseball game.

"On the hypocritical scale, this is a 10. Maybe an 11," democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski said. Assemblyman Wisniewski is outraged. He says this is exactly the kind of thing the governor would pounce on if someone else had done it.

"Imagine him as candidate Christie looking on at someone who did what he did. There would be outrage. There would be calls for reimbursement and resignations," he said.

On Tuesday, Governor Christie took the chopper ride to his son's game in Montvale, Bergen County.

He watched a few innings with the first lady, and then took off for a meeting at the Governor's Mansion down in Princeton, sixty miles away, with a delegation of campaign donors from Iowa who tried to convince him to run for president.

It's drawing harsh criticism from all over the state today.

In response, the governor's spokesman says the helicopter is used occasionally "as the schedule demands" as "has historically been the case in prior administrations," but says the governor has been judicious in its use.

For the average person here in the garden state, who has been asked by the governor to tighten their belts in these tough economic times, the chopper ride isn't sitting well.

"Business is business and pleasure is pleasure. Don't mix them," Janet Deuerlein said.

Jason Tombrowski coaches his son's baseball team and says if he got stuck on the parkway, he would be late like everyone else.

"I thought we were all on the same playing field. He shouldn't get an extra treatment because he's governor," Tombrowski said.

New Jersey State Police officials say it costs $2,500 an hour to fly in their helicopter, but that ferrying Gov. Chris Christie to his son's high school baseball game didn't cost taxpayers anything extra.

In a statement, State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes says Christie has been aboard state police helicopters 35 times since taking office.

Fuentes didn't say which, if any, of the trips were personal or political in nature and whether the governor has ever reimbursed the state for taking the trips.

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Some information from The Associated Press

Pictures are courtesy Christopher Costa/Patch.com. CLICK HERE for the original story at Patch.

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