A Learjet crashed shortly after 6 p.m. near Roosevelt Mall, officials said. “We are doubtful that there are any survivors,” a spokesman for the plane company said.
A small medical plane carrying six people crashed near a shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night, leaving no apparent survivors, sending a large fireball into the air and engulfing vehicles and homes in flames, the authorities said.
Emergency workers at the scene of a plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which owns the plane, said that there were four crew members — one pediatric patient and one escort — on board at the time of the crash.
“We have no information that there were any survivors, and by the intensity of the flames and the debris field and the sight of the crash and we are doubtful that there are any survivors,” said Shai Gold, a spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance.
He added that the company, which conducts between 600 and 700 flights a year and specializes in critical care patients, was not releasing any names until family members were notified and described the plane, a Learjet 55, as an “excellent plane.”
The plane was transporting a young female patient from Philadelphia, where her care had been completed, to her home in Mexico, Mr. Gold said. The plane had a planned stop in Missouri for fuel before its final destination, Tijuana International Airport, he said.
The patient’s condition and where she had received her care were not released.
It was unclear if there were any casualties on the ground.
Cherelle Parker, the mayor of Philadelphia, did not provide any information about the number of fatalities but said at a news conference about 8:30 p.m. that “several dwellings and vehicles were impacted.”
She told residents not to touch anything that looked like debris and to stay inside if possible. Shelter was being provided for residents at Samuel Fels High School, about two miles from the crash site.
The plane left the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed about three miles away at about 6 p.m. near Cottman and Bustleton Avenues in Northeast Philadelphia, across from Roosevelt Mall, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
It is unclear why the plane crashed.
An air traffic controller tried several times to communicate with the plane’s pilot after the jet took off, but got no response, according to an audio transmission.
After a long silence, a controller said: “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out.”
Killiom Pontes, 38, a manager of a cellphone store less than a mile from the crash site, said in an interview that the impact had caused the windows of the business to shake.
“‘What the hell just happened?’” Mr. Pontes recalled saying to himself. “At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but then we saw the big boom.”
Mr. Pontes said he got into his car and drove to the scene, which he described as a busy commercial area. He started recording an Instagram Live video of flames and debris.
“I saw a big hole in the ground,” he said. “I was in shock how much debris there was.”
A representative for the mall’s owner, Brixmor Property Group, confirmed Friday night that the plane had crashed in front of the mall.
“At this time, we’re not aware of any injuries or damage at the property, which has been evacuated,” the spokeswoman, Kristen Moore, said in a phone interview. “We’re just working with local law enforcement as they secure the site and emergency crews responding to the scene.”
Debris from the plane that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night.
Earlier, there was confusion as to how many people were aboard the plane.
A statement from the F.A.A. posted on X at 7:47 p.m. that two people were on board.
A post on X from the U.S. transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, at 7:49 p.m. said that six people were reportedly on board.
The F.A.A. updated its statement at 8:40 p.m. to say that six people were on board. The F.A.A. and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating. Four members of both agencies were on their way to the scene on Friday night, officials said.
President Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Friday night, said: “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.”
