January 10, 2002
Military Plane Crashes Near New Jersey Highway
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
An F-16 with the New Jersey Air National Guard that was on a training mission crashed near the Garden State Parkway on Thursday morning, officials said.
The pilot, based at the 177th Fighter Wing at Pomona, may have ejected from the aircraft, officials said. The unit has been flying cover missions over major U.S. cities since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Somebody did have confirmation that they did see the parachute," said Zoe Natasha, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey National Guard.
Col. John Dwyer of the Air National Guard said the plane "was not involved in a combat mission. This was involved in a training mission."
The plane crashed at about 10:45 a.m. and debris was scattered across the highway, a major north-south route, said John Hagerty, a state police spokesman. Hagerty did not know if anyone on the ground was injured.