Plane with 6 aboard crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze: Here is what we know
A medical transport jet with six people aboard crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on January 31, 2025, leading to an explosion and several homes catching fire. The incident occurred near the Roosevelt Mall, shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The plane was carrying a pediatric patient, her mother, and four crew members, all from Mexico, who were returning home after the child received life-saving treatment in the U.S.
The crash happened less than 3 miles from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.
The Learjet 55 quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters). It was registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia.”
“More innocent souls lost,” he added. “Our people are totally engaged.”
A continuous stream of police vehicles and fire trucks initially responded at the crash site, taking over business parking lots. Within about an hour, the cry of sirens and shouted orders had faded into relative quiet at the edges of the closed-off area, and darkness settled in as drivers passing by peered out trying to see what was happening.
The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center in the densely populated neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.
One cellphone video taken by a witness moments after the crash showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection. A wall of orange glowed just beyond as a plume of black smoke rose into the sky and sirens blared.
Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, when he heard a loud bang and his house shook. He said it felt like a mini earthquake and when he checked his home security camera, it looked like a missile came down.
The crash resulted in a fireball that engulfed multiple homes, with initial reports indicating that there were no survivors among those on board. Emergency services responded quickly, dealing with injuries both on the ground and possibly among those aboard the plane. The exact number of fatalities was not immediately confirmed, but the situation was described as tragic with significant damage to property and potential loss of life.
This event has drawn attention from local and state officials, with Governor Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker offering support and resources for the response. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
