Air ambulance crashes in residential area near Philadelphia mall, sparking fireball
Harrowing footage shows enormous explosion after a twin-engine Learjet 55 came down in a residential neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy
An air ambulance carrying six people has crashed near a mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with multiple casualties reported, according to law enforcement.
Harrowing footage of the incident, from multiple angles, showed an enormous, billowing explosion after the twin-engine Learjet 55 came down in a “high traffic” residential neighborhood in the northeast of the city.
Eyewitnesses said the sky was “lit up” by the explosion, which was later declared a “major incident” by the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
According to the FAA, the plane departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:30 p.m. local time, en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri and was airborne for only about 40 seconds, reaching an altitude of just 1,600 feet.
It reportedly fell from the sky at around 11,000 feet per minute.
A business jet plane has crashed near a mall in Philadelphia, with multiple casualties reported (Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management )
Six people were on board when the crash occurred, the FAA said.
At a brief conferencence on Friday evening, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that “several dwellings and vehicles” were impacted in the crash.
“An aircraft went down in the vicinity of Roosevelt Mall… this occurred shortly after 6pm this evening,” Parker told reporters.
“As of right now we have no reports on the number of fatalities so right now we’re just asking for prayers... [and] we are urging you to please stay away from the scene."
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a statement on X that he had spoken with Parker and local law enforcement, and is offering all Commonwealth resources as the emergency response unfolds.
"It was just horrific. I was just driving down the street, coming to Wendy's and I just saw a plane basically hit the building and it exploded,” a witness told ABC6. “The sky light up and I pulled over and basically it was just real bad around here.”
"It lit up the whole sky," he added.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates.
The incident comes as the NTSB continues to investigate the deadly collision Wednesday night between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people.