Experimental jet crashes into New Jersey lake, pilot walks away safely

A single-seat experimental jet went down into Green Turtle Lake, also known as Green Turtle Pond, in West Milford’s Awosting section on Saturday evening, and the pilot walked away safely after climbing out of the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a SubSonex JSX-2 and said only the pilot was aboard.

The FAA said the crash happened around 6:30 p.m., though another account placed it closer to 6:00 p.m. The pilot self-extracted from the jet and refused further medical attention, leaving rescuers to focus on a water recovery in a state park setting rather than a runway accident or roadside emergency. The FAA and New Jersey State Park Police are investigating the cause.

The crash site sits within parkland in northern Passaic County, where Green Turtle Pond is part of the Long Pond Ironworks and Ringwood State Park area. State park information describes the pond as an access point within the park property and notes that it is stocked with trout in the spring. That setting matters in an emergency: responders working a lake or pond have to reach the aircraft through park access routes, shoreline terrain, and water, which can slow the first phase of a response.

The aircraft was registered to Mini Jet Airshows LLC in Brighton, Colorado, and coverage said it had been scheduled to fly in the NJ Airshow at Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford. The 2026 NJ Airshow ran June 19-21 at Greenwood Lake Airport, with promotional material describing a Father’s Day Weekend event that featured aerobatic performers, pyrotechnics, fireworks, drones, and a night-show finale.

With the pilot safe, the immediate questions now center on why the SubSonex JSX-2 came down into the lake and what the aircraft, flight path, and surrounding conditions can show investigators. In the first 24 hours, FAA and state police investigators will work to secure the wreckage, document its position in the water, and sort out the sequence that led a scheduled airshow jet into a pond in the middle of a state park.