A New Jersey State Police trooper from Burlington County has died during training, officials say.

Trooper II Marcellus E. Bethea was an eight-year veteran assigned to Troop D at the Moorestown station on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to a brief announcement from the State Police.

The incident occurred at a training facility at New Jersey State Police headquarters in Ewing, according to a social media post from Gov. Phil Murphy on Sunday night.

Bethea was training to join the elite Teams Unit 1, said a statement from Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

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He called the trooper’s death a “devastating loss.”

In a statement, Murphy said Bethea “showed a passion and spark for service from a young age.”

The governor noted Bethea, as a senior at Northern Burlington County Regional High School, participated in a Trooper Youth Week program in 2008.

Bethea was a member of the track and football squads at the high school, according to online accounts.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his fellow troopers at this difficult time,” Murphy said.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin described Bethea’s death as a “devastating loss.”

No other details were immediately available about the incident.

The Troop D station is off the New Jersey Turnpike and Mount Laurel Road in Mount Laurel. It is part of a regional unit that patrols about 150 miles on the turnpike.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Trooper Marcellus E. Bethea was an eight-year State Police veteran