Hudson County residents concerned about helicopter traffic, noise
If passed, S 275 would reduce the number of helicopters leaving aviation facilities licensed by the state. A second bill, S 4639, seeks to impose additional taxes on non-essential helicopter flights.
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Residents of cities in Hudson County are concerned about the helicopter activity over their homes – an issue brought to the forefront by a deadly crash earlier this year.
"When I'm inside, not too bothersome, but I do notice when I'm outside I can tell from a noise pollution standpoint. I'm in some of the different local Facebook groups, and I do see a lot of commentary. I do see that it is affecting a lot of different populations," said David Blanco, a Jersey City resident.
In April, a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, killing a family of five and the pilot. Since then, state legislators have introduced several bills to curb commercial helicopter traffic.
If passed, S 275 would reduce the number of helicopters leaving aviation facilities licensed by the state. A second bill, S 4639, seeks to impose additional taxes on non-essential helicopter flights.
At the end of September, the Town of Kearny issued a zoning violation to a major heliport along the Hudson. It stated the heliport, operated by Helo Holdings, violated a zoning ordinance by offering helicopter tours to consumers and operating outside of specified hours.
Gov. Phil Murphy also formally requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limit non-essential flights from that heliport in August.
"Hold them accountable to whatever FAA regulations and noise ordinances there are. Even having some kind of noise abatement procedures, the helipad would be beneficial for everyone living in Hoboken," said resident Michael Zacieracha.
On the federal level, the Improving Helicopter Safety Act of 2025, introduced in May, has not yet passed but is still active.
That legislation would prohibit commercial helicopter flights near the Statue of Liberty.
