PHILADELPHIA — Seven people, including a person in a vehicle, lost their lives when an air ambulance carrying six individuals crashed Friday night near a mall in northeast Philadelphia.
The six passengers on board were identified as Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, patient Valentina Guzman Murillo, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance stated that survival was unlikely for anyone on board.
During a Sunday news briefing, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced that the number of injured individuals on the ground had risen to 22. Among them, five remain hospitalized, with three in critical condition. Out of respect for the victims' families, no further details regarding their injuries have been disclosed.
The aircraft was en route from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed near Roosevelt Mall at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Flight Path and Investigation
According to Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the crash is classified as an accident.
NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Ralph Hicks explained that the Learjet 55 had departed from Florida around noon, arriving at Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 2:15 p.m., where it remained on the ground for several hours before taking off again at 6:06 p.m. Shortly after departure, the aircraft ascended to approximately 1,500 feet, made slight right and left turns, and then entered a rapid descent before crashing.
Homendy noted that flight records do not indicate any immediate concerns and that the NTSB will continue to assess all available information. Additionally, there was no communication between the flight crew and air traffic control before the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also launched an investigation.
Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that all passengers were Mexican nationals. The Mexican Consulate has reached out to the families of the victims and is providing necessary consular assistance while cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the crash.
A spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance revealed that the patient, a young girl from Mexico, had traveled to the U.S. for life-saving treatment and was returning home. Her final destination was Tijuana International Airport, where a ground ambulance was set to take her home.
Recovery Efforts and Witness Accounts
The crash site spans an area of four to six blocks, with debris scattered across remote locations.
On Sunday, the NTSB confirmed the recovery of the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder, found buried eight feet deep at the crash site. Although likely damaged, it remains a crucial piece of evidence that could provide insight into the incident’s timeline. Investigators have also recovered the aircraft’s enhanced ground proximity warning system, which may contain flight data. Both devices will be sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for analysis.
Additionally, both of the plane’s engines have been recovered. Investigators are expected to continue wreckage recovery efforts at the site before transferring the debris to a secure location in Delaware for further examination.
Homendy stated that there were no reports of debris falling from the aircraft before the crash, and officials encourage witnesses to submit any available video footage.
Odalis Acosta, 29, who was working at Four Seasons Diner nearby, described the moment of impact.
"Everything shook," she recalled. As glass shattered around them, people inside the restaurant dropped to the ground. A heavy metal fragment struck a customer in the head. "You heard the explosion. I looked to the side and saw a massive fireball through the window," she told to a media.
Footage from the scene showed fire and thick smoke rising into the air.
This tragic accident occurred just days after 67 people were killed in a midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.
