A medical transport jet carrying six people, including a child patient, crashed into several buildings in northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening, setting homes and vehicles ablaze and injuring multiple people on the ground.
Emergency crews rushed to the chaotic scene as residents scrambled to safety amid fiery debris and wreckage. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft plummet from the sky before erupting into a massive fireball, sending shrapnel and burning wreckage across the densely populated area.
The jet, a Learjet 55, was on a medical mission transporting a critically ill child back to Tijuana, Mexico, after receiving treatment in the U.S.
The patient was accompanied by her mother, a doctor, a paramedic, the pilot, and a copilot, according to Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the medical aircraft company operating the flight.
“We know that there will be loss,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at the crash site, describing it as an “awful aviation disaster.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker urged residents to stay clear of the wreckage and refrain from touching any debris.
The crash occurred just blocks away from Roosevelt Mall in a bustling neighborhood filled with terraced houses and small businesses.
Videos circulating online captured the moment the plane went down, illuminating the sky in an orange glow. One eyewitness described the explosion as feeling “like an earthquake,” while another likened it to a military attack.
Flight records show the plane had departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:30 p.m. local time, heading to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
The aircraft crashed less than four miles from takeoff. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
The tragedy comes just days after a fatal collision between a commercial jet and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., which claimed the lives of all 67 people on board.
As rescue efforts continue, authorities have urged affected Mexican nationals to contact the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia for assistance.
Meanwhile, officials are still assessing the number of casualties, with residents and emergency responders bracing for grim updates.
