- A police helicopter to slam into Newport Bay on Saturday.
- One officer was killed, another was critically injured.
- Newport Beach police have grounded their helicopters pending an investigation into the crash.
Investigators in California on Sunday were trying to determine what caused a police helicopter to slam into Newport Bay, killing one police officer and critically injuring another.
The crash came hours after another helicopter plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean not far from beachgoers in Miami Beach, injuring two people aboard the chopper.
In California, Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said the helicopter was responding to reports of a disturbance on the beach Saturday at about 6:30 pm local time. Officer Nicholas Vella, 44, a 14-year department veteran and married father of one daughter, died in the crash, Parra said.
"The Huntington Beach Police Department and the law enforcement community have lost an officer who was truly dedicated to his job, that was doing what he loved doing,” Parra said.
The name of the injured officer was not immediately released.
The Federal Aviation Administration, in an email to USA TODAY, said it was investigating the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA identified the helicopter as a McDonnell Douglas 500N. Parra said the department's helicopters undergo regularly scheduled maintenance.
"I don't know what occurred, but we are going to pull those in, they won't fly until we do the inspection," he said. "It's a dangerous occupation. Flying is dangerous. Law enforcement is extremely dangerous. You can't account for every issue."
Popular DJ and record producer Justin Martin said he witnessed the crash.
"It was directly above us spinning out of control ... crashed less than 150 feet from our boat ... still shaken up from what we just saw.. crazy," Martin said in a Twitter post.
VIDEO SHOWS HELICOPTER CRASH: The helicopter plummeted into ocean near swimmers in Miami Beach
Hours earlier, surveillance video posted by Miami Beach Police on Twitter shows a helicopter crashing into the ocean amid dozens of people in the water. Two people in the helicopter were hospitalized in stable condition, the Miami Beach Police Department said.
The Robinson R44 helicopter crashed at about 1:20 p.m. "under unknown circumstances," according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci
![Generic police tape scene.
A blurred police car in the background behind yellow crime scene tape. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]](https://cdn.cincylink.com/pub/content/uploads/sites/27/2022/02/Officer-dies-another-critically-hurt-in-California-helicopter-crash.jpg)
