Officials are trying to confirm how many people have died on the ground after an air ambulance crashed into a densely populated suburb of Philadelphia, engulfing houses in flames.
Officials are trying to confirm how many people have died on the ground after an air ambulance crashed into a densely populated suburb of Philadelphia, engulfing houses in flames.
February 1, 2025 — 1.28pm
A medical transport jet with a child patient and five others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood shortly after takeoff on Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said the patient and another passenger were on board with four crew members.
“We cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said. “Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker said information on fatalities wasn’t immediately known but several homes and vehicles had been damaged.
“This is still an active scene under investigation,” Parker said.
The crash came just two days after the deadliest US air disaster in a generation. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided midair with an army helicopter carrying three soldiers over Washington, DC. There were no survivors.
Over Philadelphia, footage from dashcams and security cameras showed the plane plunging in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping centre and major roadway.
“All we heard was a loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume,” resident Jim Quinn said.
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The crash happened less than five kilometres from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily services business jets and charter flights.
The plane, a Learjet 55, quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6.06pm and climbing to an altitude of 1600 feet. It was en route to Springfield, Missouri, and registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
President Donald Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social it was “so sad” to see the crash.
“More innocent souls lost,” he said. “Our people are totally engaged.”
Governor Josh Shapiro said he is offering all “Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly”.
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The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping centre in the densely populated neighbourhood of Rhawnhurst.
One mobile phone video taken by a witness moments after the plane crashed showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection.
A wall of orange glowed just beyond the intersection as a plume of black smoke quickly rose into the sky and sirens blared.
The plane’s owner, Jet Rescue, provides global air ambulance services. The Mexico-based company flew baseball hall-of-famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and was involved in transporting patients critically ill with COVID-19.
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB said it was gathering information about the crash.
AP
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