Ralph Hulbeck talks to reporters about the news story he saw.

A Hackettstown man who witnessed a news story about an airplane and helicopter that collided over the Hudson River said he would have missed the report if he hadn’t temporarily misplaced the TV remote.

Ralph Hulbeck said he wanted to change the channel after watching the Bruce Willis classic “Hart’s War,” but lost the remote somewhere in the couch cushions.

“Before I knew it, the evening news came on and they were talking about an airplane and a helicopter that hit each other in mid air over the Hudson,” a visibly shaken Hulbeck said outside his house, surrounded by reporters. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, did I just see that? I mean, I was minding my own business, thinking about why Bruce’s character came back when he knew he would be shot by the Germans, and bam, all of a sudden, this guy is talking about a mid-air collision that happened hours ago.

“The image of that news anchor is just seared into my brain. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the pancake makeup on his face.”

Hulbeck, an air conditioner repairman, said he knew something serious had happened because of a graphic that came up just as the news started that said, “Death Over The Hudson.” Then, he said, the station went to a reporter standing near some water who talked for a little while followed by an animation of what might have happened if Capt. Sullenberger had been flying the plane and a promo about possible showers coming in overnight.

Hulbeck told reporters that if he knew where the remote was, he would have switched to a rerun of “The King of Queens.”

“This is what cooks my noodle: If the remote hadn’t gotten pushed under a pillow on the couch, I would have punched in zero-nine on that clicker and been watching Kevin James do what he does best,” Hulbeck said. “Instead, by mere chance, I was witness to something that sent chills down my spine. Well, Kevin James sometimes sends chills down my spine, but this was different. God really does work in mysterious ways.”