NEW: ATF Is On The Scene After Medical Jet Crashes In Philadelphia

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is assisting with the investigation after an ambulance jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night.

“ATF is on site assisting [the Phildelphia Fire Department] at incident near Cottman and Bustelton Avenues in Northeast Philadelphia across from Roosevelt Mall,” the agency announced in an X post. The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, as representatives from both agencies have been observed on the ground.

At least six people are confirmed dead, all of whom were traveling onboard the, Learjet 55 medical plane belonging to Jet Rescue, an air ambulance company based in South Florida, when it crashed into a densely populated Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood. The jet — which appeared to have suffered some sort of mechanical failure — crashed to the ground in a nosedive just minutes after taking off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

The flight was headed for Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri before the crash. Officials have confirmed that there were four crew members, a patient, and a family member of the patient onboard the plane at the time of the crash. None of them survived the impact, as the plane was already on fire when it crashed to the ground at a rate of 12,000 feet per second.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the company with which the jet belonged, has confirmed that the patient was a young girl who had just wrapped up medical treatment in Philadelphia. The girl, along with her mother and four volunteers, were set to travel home to Tijuana, Mexico after they arrived in Missouri for a fuel stop. All six passengers were Mexican nationals.

At least six additional people on the ground were injured when the plane crashed near a Dunkin’ Donuts location. Multiple row homes and at least six vehicles were set on fire as a result of the crash. One local reporter remarked that the area looked like a “war zone,” noting that multiple cars were completely burned out. Multiple victims, one of whom was identified as an 11-year-old boy, suffered severe burns.

If the plane was fully fueled, it would have been carrying roughly 7,000 gallons of jet fuel. Debris has been found up to a half a mile from the crash site, while city and federal officials are urging Philadelphia residents not to touch any found debris as the cause of the crash is being investigated. Much of the debris was found in a nearby parking lot.

Aviation experts have been near unanimous in speculating that the plane suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, judging by multiple video angles of the crash. Air traffic controllers cleared the aircraft for takeoff before almost immediately losing contact shortly after 6:30 p.m. local tine.

President Donald Trump offered prayers and condolences for the victims in a social media post. “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday evening.

Friday’s crash is the second for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the Mexico City-based company to whom the jet belonged, in just over 15 months. Two pilots, a nurse and a patient were killed when a company Learjet 35A overshot a runway at Cuernavaca Airport in Temixco, Mexico on November 1, 2023. The company describes itself as a “worldwide critical care air ambulance based in Mexico City and Miami.”