A tragic aviation disaster struck a Philadelphia neighborhood on Friday evening when a medical transport jet crashed shortly after takeoff, setting multiple homes ablaze.
The Learjet 55, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, was carrying a child patient, her mother, and four crew members when it went down near Roosevelt Mall in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood, sending a fireball into the sky.
Authorities have yet to confirm the number of fatalities, but Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro described the incident as an “awful aviation disaster” and warned that casualties were expected.
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Moments Before the Crash
The ill-fated jet had taken off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:06 p.m., but just minutes later, it disappeared from radar at an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters).
Eyewitnesses described a loud explosion followed by intense flames, with doorbell camera footage capturing the moment the plane plunged from the sky.
“I saw a huge ball of fire, and then everything shook. People started screaming and running out of their houses,” said Brian Schultz, a local resident who lives near the crash site.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, battling the raging inferno that quickly spread through the residential area. It remains unclear if there were injuries or fatalities on the ground, but several homes sustained severe fire damage.
Victims and Investigation Underway
All six passengers onboard were from Mexico, with reports confirming that the child was being transported home after receiving medical treatment in Philadelphia. Their identities have not yet been released.
Jet Rescue, a Mexico-based medical aviation company, is known for providing global air ambulance services. The company previously made headlines for transporting baseball legend David Ortiz after he was shot in the Dominican Republic.
However, this is its second fatal crash in 15 months—in 2023, another of its jets crashed in Mexico, killing five crew members.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash, with officials expected to begin examining the wreckage on Saturday.
This tragedy comes just days after another deadly aviation incident in the U.S., when an American Airlines jet collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board.
