Shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, a medical jet working for the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed outside the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia, killing all six people on board.
In addition to the six victims inside the jet, the crash killed 37-year-old Steven Dreuitt, who was found dead inside of a car. Currently, 24 bystanders also sustained injuries from the subsequent explosion and fires.
According to NBC, the plane was only in flight for a minute at an altitude of 1,500 feet before taking a rapid plunge and making impact on the sidewalk of Roosevelt Mall. Officials are still retrieving flight data to search for any clues of what caused the crash, as the black box from the cockpit of the jet has been found for officials to analyze. The crash has affected more than 300 properties in northeast Philadelphia, ranging from minor damage to complete destruction and displacement of northeast Philadelphia residents.
The tragedy claimed the lives of 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo, a young girl who had just undergone intense treatment for a spinal cord malformation known as myelomeningocele at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, as well as her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna. Aboard the flight were two medical staff, Dr. Raul Meza Arrendondo and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, in addition to Captain Alan Montoya Perales alongside co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez.
As confirmed by President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on X, all of the victims onboard were citizens of Mexico, with the pilots and staff working for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance. They were transporting Murillo and her mother to the hospital for her treatment and back to Tijuana, Mexico.
Shriners Children’s Hospital reports that Muillo was admitted as a pediatric patient to receive her treatment in Philadelphia due to the complex and dangerous nature of her condition. Family members praise the 11-year-old girl for her resilience and positivity as she combated her condition.
With the crash occurring at such a major time for commuting, many people in the area witnessed the crash and the chaos that followed.
“I was coming home with my friend… We just saw smoke,” said Dylan, a resident of the northeast Philadelphia area.
Others reported seeing the explosion itself, and some residents of Philadelphia even captured the crash on video from their homes’ doorbell cameras and security systems. The crash destroyed four homes, and seventeen others received moderate to critical damages. The accident also created debris and caused fires to start, damaging other buildings and blocking major roads such as Cottman Avenue.
The outcome of the crash warranted action from the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia school district, both of whom worked together to set up a shelter at the local Samuel Fels High School and provided avenues for residents to report property damages. Fortunately, officials confirmed that the crash’s explosion and fires did not pollute Philadelphia’s air quality to a detrimental degree, though they still encouraged residents to exercise caution when outside and to minimize their exposure.
Unfortunately, this tragedy adds to a string of issues arising in the risks of airline travel in the United States. Recent news reporting many other plane crashes — most notably the crash in Washington D.C. that took the lives of 67 people — has begun to build concern among American citizens in the safety and reliability of flight.
Drexel University student Nelson Feidelson stated, “Plenty of people already don’t trust flying.”
The crashes follow United States President Donald Trump’s changes to the staff in charge of national air safety in federal departments, including the firing of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee and his criticisms of many Air Traffic Controllers.
Another student, Aurora Bitting, added, “This only started happening after [Trump] started rolling [air safety] back… It could be [a] coincidence, but we have had two [crashes] in the same week.”
In a press conference after the crash in Washington D.C., Trump implied “that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, although an investigation into the fatal disaster has only just begun,” according to NBC News.
While the public is left to wonder whether flying by airline is worth the risk, they can redirect concerns to helping the victims of the recent plane crashes by donating to the charities and organizations contributing to recovery, sending their regards to the victims’ families and advocating for future federal action to promote the safety of aviation.