7 killed, at least 22 injured in fiery Northeast Philly plane crash; city stresses residents call 911 to report debris

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Cleanup has resumed Saturday after a private medical jet carrying six people crashed in Northeast Philadelphia shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, creating a fiery explosion that killed seven people and hurt at least 22 people, according to city officials.

Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed Saturday that all six passengers and one person in a car were killed in the crash. In an update Sunday, Parker said the number of people injured increased to 22, five of whom remain hospitalized.

Operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the small aircraft was traveling from Philadelphia to Tijuana, Mexico, with a planned stop at Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it went down, setting several houses ablaze near Roosevelt Mall. The Learjet 55 was carrying two passengers, a mother and daughter, and four crew members, all of whom were from Mexico. Flight logs show the plane was only in the air for about a minute before crashing.

City officials stressed that residents in the area should call 911 if they see debris and should avoid touching it. Adam Thiel, city managing director, said emergency management teams are working on the ground to assess damage.

“This is still a very active and fluid situation,” he said. “It is entirely possible there will be changes to those casualty figures that you heard.”

It will take “days or more,” he said, for officials to determine the total number of casualties and injuries caused by the crash.

Parts of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue remain cordoned off by law enforcement.Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania have established a shelter at Samuel Fels High School, located at 5500 Langdon St. Affected residents are asked to call 1-800 Red Cross to report property damage or for help filing a claim.

Red Cross Philadelphia said they have what they need at this time and asked people to refrain from bringing material donations.

“Everyone is here on the ground. They’re here on the ground not just to address you, but they’ve been here on the ground for their neighbors,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday. “I know that the good people of Northeast Philadelphia, this morning, as daybreak came, walked out from their homes, came down from their stoops and saw carnage in their communities, saw fuselage, saw destruction, and saw things that no one should ever have to experience in their neighborhoods.”

Videos posted online appear to show the aircraft falling rapidly before erupting into flames in the heavily-populated residential neighborhood near the mall. First responders rushed to the crash site where fires lit up the hazy evening sky.

“If there was ever a time when we needed to affirm what the one-Philly philosophy means, the time is now and I’m very proud about how our federal state and all of our local partners are working hard to deal with this tragedy,” Parker said at a press conference Friday.

The crash occurred only days after a deadly mid-air collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. All 67 people on the two aircrafts are presumed dead.

A large, multi-agency contingent, including Pennsylvania State Police, PennDOT, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Authority and the state Department of Environment Protection, was mobilized to manage the site.

A Temple spokesperson said at least six people were admitted to Temple University Hospital’s Jeanes Campus with injuries related to the incident, three of which were released that night.

“What you’re seeing here is a unified response. to an awful aviation disaster,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said. “For as awful as that aviation disaster was, tonight we also saw the best of Philly. We saw neighbor helping neighbor. We saw Pennsylvanians looking out for one another.”

Shapiro said he spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who dispatched four FAA personnel to support the investigation.

WItnesses described the chaos. Among them, 37-year-old Southampton resident and Ukraine native Vadim Osipov said he initially believed a nearby gas station had blown up when he saw a “mushroom explosion.”

He added that he feared the explosion was caused by a rocket, at first.

“I’m from Ukraine … but I know there’s war. You never know,” Osipov said. “Maybe there’s another world war coming here.”

Robin Tees, a 48-year-old from Bucks County, felt the catastrophe “hits home more than it did when it’s somewhere else,” referring to the earlier crash near Washington.

“It’s like a natural instinct for a human being to want to see the wreckage that they see that’s dominating the world news,” Tees said.

In a message on social media, At-Large Councilmember Jim Harrity offered support: “My prayers go out to those on board, their families, those on the ground, and all of our first responders who are working tirelessly to manage the crisis.”

He added that he’ll work with Councilmember Michael Driscoll, who represents District 6 in Northeast Philadelphia, “to help monitor the situation.”

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

WHYY News’ Emily Neil and Nicole Leonard contributed to this reporting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.