Philadelphia archbishop: ‘My heart sank’ after learning of Friday plane crash
Emergency service members respond to a plane crash in a neighborhood near Cottman Avenue on Jan. 31, 2025, in Philadelphia. The plane, a medical transport jet carrying a child patient, crashed after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. / Credit: Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images CNA Staff, Feb 1, 2025 / 10:55 am (CNA).
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Peréz called for all to “unite in prayer” after a private medical jet carrying a pediatric patient, her mother, and four crew members crashed Friday night in northeast Philadelphia.
“My heart sank when I learned that an aircraft crashed at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard in northeast Philadelphia tonight,” Peréz said in a Jan. 31 statement.
The plane, which was owned by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, crashed just after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. It was headed to Branson, Missouri, before its final destination of Tijuana, Mexico. The six passengers, who were all Mexican nationals, were killed, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. At least six people on the ground were treated at a local hospital and released.
A representative of Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia said the child had received care at the hospital and was returning home with her mother, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a post on X Saturday morning that “consular authorities are in permanent contact with the families” and “my sympathy goes out to their loved ones and friends.”
“This shocking tragedy comes with great loss, pain, and anxiety for the families of the crew and passengers as well as neighborhood residents and business owners whose evening was shattered with sudden violence,” Peréz continued in his statement. “We pray fervently that God will bring comfort and healing in this time of anguish.”
Peréz prayed that the Blessed Mother would be with the first responders and emergency personnel and extended his gratitude for their service.
“Let us all unite in prayer and do what we can in the days ahead to share the compassionate love of Christ with those suffering as a result of tonight’s crash,” he said.
The tragedy comes just two days after an American Eagle flight collided with a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, killing 67 people.
