A Westchester County police helicopter assisting in a search for missing hikers had to make an emergency landing at a lookout area off the Palisades Parkway in New Jersey after a malfunctioning air conditioner unit started smoking, authorities say.
The chopper landed at the state line lookout in Alpine, New Jersey, at the New York border. Marks could be seen on the lot surface from where the helicopter made the landing.
The pilot and the tactical flight officer in the helicopter are both police officers, according to law enforcement sources.
Cars were parked around the lot but there were no injuries to the officers or to anyone else on the ground.
The chopper was being towed back to Westchester on a flatbed to be repaired, authorities said.
Information on the missing hikers' case wasn't immediately available.
The Bell 407 chopper is registered to the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, according to records.
