Medical Rescue Plane Crashes in Philadelphia, At Least 7 Dead and 19 Injured

Mexico’s President and the Mayor of Philadelphia confirmed on Saturday (February 1st) that a medevac plane crashed the previous night in Philadelphia, United States, resulting in at least 7 fatalities. Among the deceased were six Mexican citizens on board and one person on the ground.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker stated in a press conference that the ground victim was inside a car at the crash site. She added, “Currently, our statistics show that a total of 19 people were injured.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took to the social platform X to announce that she had instructed consular officials to assist the families of the 6 Mexican victims.

The crashed plane was operated by the Mexican company “Jet Rescue Air Ambulance” and had obtained operating permission in the United States. The company stated on Friday that on board were four crew members, one pediatric medical patient, and the patient’s mother.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance’s Strategic Director, Shai Gold, informed CNN that the child patient killed in the crash was a girl from Tijuana, Mexico, who was on her way home. Her mother was also on the plane.

Previous reports indicated that a plane crashed on a street near the Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, causing nearby cars and houses to catch fire. Local media reported that the crash occurred near the Roosevelt Mall in the northeast part of Philadelphia, with multiple people injured on the ground.

The Learjet 55 aircraft took off from the airport at 6:06 pm on Friday, climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters) before quickly disappearing from radar. According to the flight tracking website Flight Aware, the plane took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was headed to Springfield, Missouri.

After the crash, authorities on Saturday searched for clues in the burned-out car and charred plane wreckage to determine why the plane exploded upon impact and burst into flames.

Philadelphia’s City Managing Director, Adam Thiel, stated that authorities might need several days to confirm the final numbers of fatalities and injuries.