“The memorial is usually a place to unite.”
That's why artist Roberto Marquez traveled to Northeast Philadelphia to erect crosses and paint a canvas at a growing memorial for the seven people killed on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, when a medical jet crashed shortly after takeoff.
“I want the community to know that it’s difficult, but it can be easier if we unite,” Marquez -- a cowboy hat on his head told NBC10's Brenna Weick on a sunny Tuesday morning.
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Marquez worked as Mexican flags already displayed at the growing memorial at Bustleton and Cottman avenues blew in the wind on Feb. 4, 2025.
Marquez, a Mexican who lives in Dallas, Texas, traveled to Philadelphia from Washington D.C. where he placed crosses for the 67 victims killed last week's passenger plane crash over the Potomac River.
He says he has brought art to other sites of tragedy in the past and was drawn to Philadelphia in part because of the connections to Mexico of everyone on board the ill-fated medical transport that crashed in a fireball outside the Roosevelt Mall off Cottman Avenue.
Two dozen people were hurt in the crash that claimed the lives of Mexican patient Valentina Guzman Murillo, her mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna and four Mexican crew members and a driver near the impact site, according to officials.
The artist built seven crosses at the site – one for each person who died in Friday’s crash.
“Each one represents – for me – a remembrance and maybe the last goodbye to them,” Maquez said.
The saying in Spanish that Marquez is putting atop the crosses translates to “Beautiful Mexico, I die away from you,” the pained artist said.
“What a big loss it would be if I didn’t come,” he said.
Besides the crosses, Marquez planned to paint a mural to be displayed at the memorial. He hoped others would help him in paying tribute to the crash victims.
He planned to host a 6 p.m. vigil on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, giving people a chance to add to Marquez’s canvas. He hopes for music at the event – maybe even a mariachi band will show up.
The investigation into what caused the Learjet to crash out of the sky less than a minute after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport continued nearby Tuesday.
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