What we know about the victims of the medical jet crash in Northeast Philly

A medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother and four others slammed into a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, creating a massive explosion that caused fires and damage throughout the area.

The plane crashed 30 seconds after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. 

While officials have not yet released the identities of the victims of the crash, they did reveal more details about who they were and why they were on the aircraft. 

The plane was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, Missouri. From there it would have traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, for its final destination. 

The child who was on board had received treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition, Gold said. 

“All I can say is, the patient was sponsored by a third-partner charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the U.S.,” Gold said. “She did her course of care. She was going home. She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately, this tragedy on the way home.”

“I know that the team there in Philadelphia today had a sendoff for her,” he said. “It’s always a meaningful but yet emotional time for us. It’s really just been compounded by the tragic ending.” 

Due to privacy laws, neither Gold nor Bower could reveal the child’s identity. Bower spoke about the impact the crash has had on the hospital’s staff, however. 

“It’s devastating news. All of our patients are like family to us. It’s not just about the care that they received. It is the whole experience of working with them and their families,” he said. “The care that they receive is much more than just clinical. It is very devastating to us. All of our patients are very dear to us and to have such a tragedy happen, it’s just so hard for all of us. Every child deserves to live their best life and that’s our goal. And to see one end so tragically is just heartbreaking.”

The victims include an 11-year-old boy who suffered head injuries, a 31-year-old man who suffered head injuries and a 30-year-old woman who suffered facial injuries, according to the source.

‘From a movie': Witnesses share what happened when medical jet crashed in Northeast Philly

Here are some of their stories:

‘You could smell the jet fuel’

He explained that he was at the door when the crash happened. He said that he heard this loud sound and the building started shaking.

“It just looked like something from a movie,” he said.

He said after the loud bang, there was a large fire visible from inside the gas station. The man explained that he tried to keep the door shut so the other people would stay safe from anything falling from the sky.

According to him, there was an entire line of cars completely engulfed in flames as well as a nearby home. First responders arrived very quickly and worked to keep everyone away from the scene.

‘Everything just shook’

He was inside the Bath and Body Works store inside the Roosevelt Mall when he said the building shook.

“Out of nowhere, everything just shook. I thought the buildings fell or something,” he said.

He explained that he walked outside he saw what looked like a “huge explosion.”

“And then I see a person running on fire,” he said. “I can’t get that out of my head.”

‘Like daylight outside’

Gustavo Chaves was home with his wife Sam near the site of the crash when he suddenly felt what felt like an “earthquake,” causing him to look outside and see an orange sky.

“(The) whole house shook. And then I was like, there’s an earthquake. Because, you know, (when) it happened I was like, ‘It’s an earthquake again,'” Chaves recalled. “I opened the window and it’s like daylight outside, like complete, just orange. And I was like, ‘Something really bad happened.'”

The 2 aircraft that collided over Washington are both commonly used around the world

The Army helicopter and regional American Airlines jet that collided over Washington are both workhorse aircraft that operate around the world on a daily basis.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ-700, officials said. Three service members were on a training flight on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. None are believed to have survived the Wednesday night collision, which caused both aircraft to plunge into the frigid Potomac River.

What to know about the aircraft:

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

There are about 5,000 Black Hawks in use around the world, according to the aviation site FlightGlobal.com. The twin-engine, four-blade helicopter is manufactured by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

The aircraft involved in Wednesday’s collision was an Army version. There are other variants made for the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, and for specialized duty such as intelligence gathering.

Potomac Crash 9 hours ago

Pilots have long worried about DC's complex airspace contributing to a catastrophe

Potomac Crash 9 hours ago

Pilot of downed plane remembered for his ‘passion for flying'

The Black Hawk made its debut in 1979. The helicopters have been involved in numerous U.S. military operations, including the raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the invasions of Panama and Grenada.

It is perhaps best known as the namesake aircraft in the 2001 war film “Black Hawk Down,” about a U.S. helicopter shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the civil war there. Others have crashed over the years on training missions.

Bombardier CRJ-700

The passenger jet was manufactured by Quebec, Canada-based conglomerate Bombardier Inc. The CRJ program was sold in June 2020 to the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which no longer makes them but continues to produce parts.

The twin-engine aircraft comes in several versions capable of seating between 68 and 78 passengers. It is a commonly used regional aircraft used for medium and shorter flights, with more than 900 produced since it was introduced in May 1999.

Bombardier said in 2015 that the CRJ-700 series accounted for 20% of all departure flights in North America, with about 200,000 flights per month.

The plane in Wednesday’s crash was registered as N530EA and manufactured in 2010, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The jet was operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, PSA Airlines.

Opal Lee responds to DEI Executive Order, pens open letter to President

Federal agencies are now working to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. This week, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause on activities related to several observances, including Black History Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and Juneteenth.

Dr. Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” sat down with NBC 5 to discuss how she feels about the administration’s recent move. She led the push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and said she would like to meet with Trump to have a conversation and ask him a direct question.

“What is his reason? I just need to know why and see if I can’t talk into understand how much these mean to us. And see if he can’t rescind that order,” Lee said.

She is aware of the executive order signed by the president days ago aimed at ending what the administration has called “radical and wasteful government DEI programs.”

The president doubled down in a press conference several days ago.

“DEI is, would have ruined our country and now it’s dead,” he said.

Juneteenth is also included on the Defense Intelligence Agency’s list, but with an asterisk noting that federal holidays will not be paused.

Lee’s granddaughter, Dione Sims, said the move is concerning but serves as motivation.

“We’re going to have to work to keep the status quo just to stay where we are and get out our oars and row against the current, against the tide,” Sims said.

Opal Lee sent a letter of her own to the White House, challenging the president to leave a legacy that uplifts the country. Meanwhile, she and her supporters have invited others to join them for the annual Juneteenth March, which is already in the works.

“So, if you guess can’t celebrate all you other cultures, we invite you to find yourself in the Juneteenth story,” Sims said.

Opal Lee said what she and others have done is for the benefit of everyone, and she wants to keep it that way.

“Everybody needs to be able to celebrate accomplishments,” Lee said.

In a recent news conference, Trump responded to questions about government agencies scrubbing content from their websites in response to the executive order. He said he couldn’t say whether the material had been removed but added that he did not think it was a bad idea that DEI “is dead.”

Venezuela frees 6 Americans after meeting between President Maduro and Trump's envoy

Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, announced the release of the six men on social media. The visit by Grenell came as a shock to many Venezuelans who hoped that Trump would continue the “maximum pressure” campaign he pursued against Maduro during his first term.

Grenell’s hours long trip to Venezuela, according to the White House, was focused on Trump’s efforts to deport Venezuelans back to their home country, which currently does not accept them, and on the release of the detained Americans.

“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens,” Grenell posted on X along with a photo showing him and the men aboard an aircraft. “They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.”

The meeting in Venezuela’s capital took place less than a month after Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost last year’s election. The U.S. government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognize Maduro’s claim to victory and instead points to tally sheets collected by the opposition coalition showing that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a more than a two-to-one margin.

Venezuelan state television aired footage of Grenell and Maduro speaking in the Miraflores Palace and said the meeting had been requested by the U.S. government.

Signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump was asked if Grenell being filmed meeting with Maduro lent legitimacy to a government that the Trump White House does not officially recognize.

“No. We want to do something with Venezuela. I’ve been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro,” Trump responded. “They’ve treated us not so good, but they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly.”

Maduro, appearing on state television after Grenell had left Venezuela, said the visit yielded “initial agreements” but did not provide any details.

“I have seen three U.S. presidents pass before me,” Maduro said. “This is the fourth term, and our message has been one: We want to build relationships of respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, for Venezuela’s democratic life, for international law and for our Latin American region.”

Some Republicans criticized the visit.

“This is terrible timing,” said Elliott Abrams, who served as special envoy to Venezuela and Iran during the first Trump administration. “A meeting with Maduro will be used by him to legitimize his rule and show that the Americans recognize him as president. If the purpose is to deliver a tough message about migration issues, the president could’ve done that himself. There was no need to send someone to Caracas.”

The dispute over the election results sparked nationwide protests. More than 2,200 people were arrested during and after the demonstrations.

Among those detained are as many as 10 Americans who the government has linked to alleged plots to destabilize the country. Neither the White House nor Maduro’s government immediately released the names of the six who were freed Friday.

A nonprofit group that had advocated for the release of a detainee said David Estrella, a 62-yer-old who was last heard from in September, was among those on their way back to the U.S. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello had accused Estrella of being part of an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro.

The Trump administration has taken a slew of actions to make good on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and carry out the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history.

Those measures include the revocation earlier this week of a Biden administration decision that would have protected roughly 600,000 people from Venezuela from deportation, putting some at risk of being removed from the country in about two months.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday that Trump had instructed Grenell to “identify a place and ensure that repatriation flights” carrying Venezuelans, including members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, “land in Venezuela.” She said Trump also ordered Grenell to “ensure that all U.S. detainees in Venezuela are returned home.”

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their home country since 2013, when its economy unraveled and Maduro first took office. Most settled in Latin America and the Caribbean, but after the pandemic, migrants increasingly set their sights on the U.S.

Venezuelans’ desire for better living conditions and their rejection of Maduro are expected to keep pushing people to emigrate.

Ahead of the presidential election last year, a nationwide poll by Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed about a quarter of the population thinking about emigrating if Maduro was re-elected.

Grenell has reached out to Maduro before on Trump’s behalf to secure the release of imprisoned Americans only to come home empty handed.

In 2020, he traveled with Erik Prince, the founder of controversial security firm Blackwater, to Mexico City for a secret meeting with a top Maduro aide. The backchannel talks centered on Maduro’s offer to swap eight Americans then imprisoned in Venezuela for businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of the president charged in the U.S. with money laundering, The Associated Press previously reported.

No deal was struck and Grenell’s demand that Maduro step down was dismissed by the Venezuelan president’s envoy. Grenell has always denied he was negotiating a hostage swap.

Later, in December 2023, the Biden administration exchanged Saab for 10 Americans as part of a policy to re-engage Maduro ahead of presidential elections.

___

Goodman reported from Miami. Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report from Washington.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Mortgage rates remain in high six percent range, housing experts share how prepare to buy in 2025

After hitting seven percent earlier this month, mortgage rates have dipped slightly back into the high six percent range.

But economists predict rates will hold steady this year and local housing advocates say potential homebuyers waiting for lower prices may start jumping back into the market.

For Jennifer Parker, president of the Collin County Association of Realtors, homeownership is a key path to building wealth. That’s why she finds it tough to watch clients stay on the sidelines, hoping for significant price drops.

One of her clients waited five years before finally purchasing a home.

“He would have paid probably at least 20% less than what he’s going to pay today,” Parker said. “And I finally got him to admit that yes, waiting probably has cost him.”

Even in a slower market, Parker says home prices still tend to rise by 1% to 3% per year. Her advice to potential buyers: “Get your ducks in a row.”

Mortgage expert Linda Davidson says working with a professional can help assess a buyer’s financial readiness.

“All lenders have these tools where we can run ‘what-if’ scenarios—what if I paid this off, what if I saved this much,” Davidson said.

Both offered strategies to improve mortgage eligibility, including paying down debt, improving credit scores, saving tax refunds for a down payment, exploring homebuyer assistance programs, and tapping into retirement savings for down payments.

Parker shared that she and her husband used their 401(k) to purchase a home.

Parker also shared that being financially prepared allows buyers to act quickly when builders offer incentives to move inventory. These deals can include mortgage rate buy-downs that lower rates for one to two years—and in some cases, for the life of the loan—bringing rates down to around 5% or lower for qualified buyers.

“That does happen quite frequently,” Parker noted, adding that some of these incentives are year-end or month-end deals.

Those deals also tend to show up in developing areas farther away. And while there’s no way to predict when such opportunities will arise, Parker emphasizes that homeownership is still a key way to build long-term wealth.

“This is the way that we build wealth. And if we don’t set that as a priority, we’re going to miss out.”

For those looking to buy, check out this list of local resources, including homebuyer education workshops and down payment assistance programs. Click here for more details.

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz get two goals, one assist each in Stars' win over Canucks

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz each had two goals and an assist as the Dallas Stars beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Friday night.

Rookie Oskar Back also scored and Jake Oettinger made 26 saves for the Stars, who have won four straight games.

Conor Garland, Jake DeBrusk and Carson Soucy scored for the Canucks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Thatcher Demko stopped 11 shots in his first career regulation loss to the Stars (7-1-1).

Four goals were scored in the final four minutes, including two empty-netters by Dallas.

Robertson put Dallas ahead 2-1 with 3:31 left in the second period after Garland tied the score at 5:08.

Hintz scored early in the third period and again on a short-handed empty netter for a 4-1 lead, giving him a team-best 22 goals.

Robertson has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in his last 19 games.

Dallas is 23-1-1 when leading after two periods, Vancouver 0-15-3 when trailing after two.

Cunningham celebrates All-Star selection with 40 points in Pistons' win over Mavericks

Cade Cunningham scored 40 points a day after being selected as an All-Star reserve, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-102 on Thursday night.

Cunningham matched a season high for points on 17-of-30 shooting. He added six rebounds and four assists while falling three points of his career-best 43 points.

Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak. Tobias Harris added 17 points and Jalen Duren had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 28 points. P.J. Washington had 22 points and 13 rebounds.

After the Mavericks cut it to 93-91 with 10:13 left, the Pistons responded with a 10-2 run with Cunningham on the bench.

Police report zero deaths after speeding crackdown on Loop 12

After NBC 5 Investigates exposed the extreme dangers drivers and pedestrians face on Loop 12 in southern Dallas, police launched a major crackdown on speeding.

Now, months into that effort, officers believe it is saving lives.

“There was a history there, and it was a history that we didn’t like, and it needed to be changed,” interim Dallas Police Chief Michael Igo said in an interview with NBC 5 Investigates.

Igo said the department’s traffic unit has issued more than 800 tickets and warnings since the start of December on the Ledbetter and Great Trinity Forest sections of Loop 12.

Since October, data the department provided to NBC 5 shows more than 1,200 tickets and warnings have been handed out on those stretches of the loop.

October is when the Texas Department of Transportation and the city of Dallas lowered the speed limit to 40 mph on portions of Loop 12. That decision came after an NBC 5 investigation revealed that at least 105 people had died and more than 470 were seriously injured on Loop 12 in just five years.

TxDOT data reviewed by NBC 5 Investigates shows the loop has become the deadliest roadway in the city, with many fatal crashes involving speed. In 2024 alone, there were at least 24 fatal crashes on the Dallas portion of Loop 12, according to the data.

Since police ramped up enforcement of the lower speed limit in December, they have reported zero deaths on southern Loop 12, where they have focused their efforts.

“It’s very encouraging. Obviously, one fatality is too many on our roadways. So, to partner with these other groups, to have a committed group working together, it’s very encouraging,” Igo said.

Igo credits not just his officers but also city and state officials who have worked together in recent months to develop a plan to implement dozens of new safety measures on the loop.

State Sen. Royce West has organized town hall meetings with TxDOT, the city of Dallas transportation planners, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. They are now installing better street lighting, new traffic signals, and eventually new pedestrian crossings to improve safety.

“It takes a team effort. And so, with that, we’re very happy with the progress we’ve seen so far,” Igo said.

On Thursday, Dallas police traffic unit officers were out again on Loop 12 near Glendale Park, both on motorcycles and on foot along the side of the road, clocking speeds, signaling to drivers to pull over, and issuing citations.

To guide its enforcement efforts, the department is now using new GPS-based software to pinpoint exactly when and where speeding is happening most on Loop 12. Officers can then be assigned to the worst locations at the worst times.

Igo said the department is working to reduce speeds on other roadways as well and hopes to eventually increase the size of its traffic unit. With help from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the department is exploring the possibility of obtaining federal funds to hire more officers dedicated to traffic enforcement and reducing roadway deaths.

On Loop 12, the chief says he is aiming for zero deaths—not just for months, but for the long-term future.

Live Updates: Medical jet carrying 6, including girl, crashes in Northeast Philly

Follow along for live updates on this developing story.