One person in car among those dead after air ambulance crashes in Philadelphia

First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

Matt Rourke | AP

An air ambulance carrying six people crashed near a mall in northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening, the company that operates the aircraft said.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said it could not confirm any survivors among those on board its plane, which included four crew members, a pediatric patient and the patient’s escort, according to a statement.

“Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground,” the company said. A spokesperson said it’s unlikely anyone on board survived.

Mayor Cherelle Parker said at an evening news conference that the total number of fatalities was not yet known. She said “several dwellings and vehicles were impacted.”

Six people with injuries attributed to the crash were taken to Temple University Hospital — Jeanes Campus, near Northeast Philadelphia, where three were in fair condition and three others were treated and released, a spokesperson for the institution said.

It wasn’t clear where the patients were when the aircraft struck the ground.

The Learjet 55 departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, the FAA said in a statement

The plane crashed around 6:30 pm. near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center less than 3 miles from the airport, according to Philadelphia police and fire first responders.

Officials have not confirmed deaths or injuries. Video showed smoke and fire in the area of the crash.

First responders work the scene after a small plane crashed in Philadelphia, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

Matt Rourke | AP

One person in a car was among several killed when an air ambulance carrying six crashed Friday night near a mall in northeast Philadelphia.

Details about the victims were not immediately released.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said it was unlikely anyone on board survived. The travelers were the pilot, a copilot, the patient, the patient’s mother, a paramedic and a physician.

Mayor Cherelle Parker said the number of injured victims on the ground climbed to 19. On Friday night, a spokesperson for Temple University Hospital — Jeanes Campus, where some of the injured were taken, said three people had been treated and released and three others were in fair condition.

“We can confirm that there are also a number of other victims who were injured in this incident, and they are being treated in area hospitals,” Parker said at a news conference Saturday morning.

The air ambulance was traveling from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed around 6:30 p.m. near the Roosevelt Mall.

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X that all the travelers were Mexican nationals. The Consulate of Mexico said officials have contacted the families of all six people.

“The necessary consular assistance is being provided and working with the authorities to clarify what has happened,” the consulate said in a translated post on Facebook.

Several “dwellings and vehicles” in Philadelphia were impacted by the crash, Parker said.

Officials said the area of impact “is roughly four to six blocks” and that debris was found in remote areas. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

Matt Rourke | AP

A spokesperson for the air ambulance company told NBC Philadelphia that the patient was from Mexico and had come to the U.S. for “life-saving treatment” and was returning home. The ultimate destination was Tijuana International Airport, where a ground ambulance would take the child home, the spokesperson said.

Odalis Acosta, 29, said she was helping a customer at Four Seasons Diner when “everything shook.”

People in the restaurant dropped to the ground as the glass around them shattered, she said. One customer was hit in the head by a heavy piece of metal.

“You heard the explosion. I look to the side and I see through the window the big ball of explosion,” she told NBC News.

Video showed fire and heavy smoke billowing in the air after the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The crash comes just days after 67 people were killed when an American Airlines passenger plane collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.

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