Six people, including a young patient and her mother, were on board.[4][5] The aircraft struck multiple buildings and vehicles during the accident, which caused fires and explosions that killed one person on the ground and injured at least 24 others.[6][7][8]
Background
Meteorological data recorded by the National Weather Service indicated the presence of light rain, overcast and foggy conditions, and a 30-mile-per-hour (48km/h; 26kn) wind gust recorded just before 6p.m. in Philadelphia.[5] Visibility was estimated at 6 miles (10km; 5nmi).[9]
The FAA and Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, confirmed the six people were on board the Learjet 55.[4][5][11] Jet Rescue identified the crew as Captain Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, Co-pilot Josué Juárez, Doctor Raúl Meza Arredondo, and Paramedic Rodrigo López Padilla. They were transporting pediatric patient Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, from Ensenada, Mexico.[12][13][14] All six individuals were Mexican nationals.[3]
Valentina had recently completed four months of treatment at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia, where hospital staff had held a farewell celebration for her earlier that day.[7][15][16] Dr. Meza Arredondo was the chief of neonatology at XE Médica Ambulancias and also practiced at a hospital in Atizapán de Zaragoza. The co-pilot, a resident of central Mexico with over ten years of flying experience, had been with Jet Rescue for more than a year.[16]
At approximately 6:06 pm(EST) on January 31, 2025, the Learjet 55 crashed near Roosevelt Mall at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, with the aircraft and debris impacting several buildings in the area.[6][17][18] The aircraft took off from Northeast Philadelphia airport,[19] climbed to 1,650 feet (500m),[20] disappeared from radar,[19] then crashed 40 seconds later[20] less than 3 miles (4.8km; 2.6nmi) away.[19] The last received data from the aircraft shown by Flightradar24 reported the Learjet's altitude at 1,275 feet (389m) and an increasing speed of 242 knots (448km/h; 278mph).[21]
Map of the crash
The aircraft descended at a rate of around 11,000 feet per minute (3,400m/min).[20] A doorbell camera filmed the airplane falling out of the sky, producing a large explosion with heavy plumes of smoke after hitting the ground. WTXF-TV coverage showed a large debris field and several fires.[22]
The crash was the second fatal accident involving Jet Rescue since a 2023 crash at Cuernavaca Airport in Mexico that killed four people.[16]
Victims
On February 4, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance released the names of the crew and passengers aboard the flight: captain Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josué de Jesús Juárez Juárez, Dr. Raúl Meza Arredondo, paramedic Rodrigo López Padilla, pediatric patient Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna.[12][23]
One person in a car was killed.[16] The crash destroyed four homes and damaged seventeen others[24] along with several businesses,[13] and ignited several homes and businesses in the Roosevelt Mall area, and vehicles.[15] The fire spread to nearby row homes. Twenty-four people on the ground were injured, at least three of them critically.[15][25][13]
A university hospital admitted six victims on the ground, three of whom were treated and released on the same day.[15] Another two were discharged later, while a second hospital admitted fifteen people (twelve released).[26] The injured included a person eating in a diner who was struck in the head by crash debris through a window.[16]
City official Adam Thiel estimated "days or more" until the actual number of casualties is known.[7]
Aftermath
The FAA ordered a ground stop at Northeast Philadelphia Airport.[27] The Philadelphia Police Department initiated a citywide emergency response to stop the spread of fires.[25] Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management closed roads near the crash site and urged citizens away.[15]
Investigation
NTSB investigators at the crash scene on February 2
The FAA announced that it would investigate the crash, with the lead of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB stated that an investigator had arrived on January 31 and more officials would arrive on February 1.[19]
Cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recovered by NTSB from the crash site
President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation. Commenting on Truth Social, he described the accident as a tragic loss of "innocent souls" and commended the efforts of first responders. Trump stated, "Our people are totally engaged," and added, "God Bless you all."[26]
Mike Driscoll, councilmember of the 6th District of the Philadelphia City Council and chair of the Transportation and Utilities Committee,[29] described the situation as an active emergency response with reported mass casualties. He urged the public to avoid the area and highlighted the focus on supporting first responders and affected families.[15][26]
State Representative Jared Solomon, who represents the district where the crash occurred, described the neighborhood as a working-class area of dense row homes, telling the AP, "These are just people who want to help others. They're nurses, they're construction workers, they are first responders. In a community that is always poised to help others in and around our city, now we sort of are able to turn inward and all unite together."[13]
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