As loved ones continue to mourn the seven people who died after a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday, the survivors of the crash – including at least 22 people who were injured – are dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy as well.
The injured victims include Shantelle Fletcher’s 33-year-old cousin named Dominque.
“She is in a medically-induced coma,” Fletcher told NBC10 on Sunday. “Seventy percent of her body is burnt. She’s responding well to medication. She has surgery scheduled for today.”
On Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, shortly after 6 p.m., Dominique was in the car with her longtime partner and his son while driving to the Macy’s store at the Roosevelt Mall on Cottman Avenue. Suddenly, a Learjet 55 that had just departed from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport less than three miles away plummeted to the ground, causing a massive explosion and a fireball that engulfed everything in its path.
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“They never made it to Macy’s,” Fletcher said. “On their way there, that’s when the plane had crashed and their vehicle was near the blast area.”
The crash killed all six people on board the medical jet, including Valentina Guzman Murillo, a girl who was returning to Mexico after receiving treatment for a life-threatening illness at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia. Murillo’s mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, Captain Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, were also on board. The flight was traveling to Missouri and would have continued to Tijuana, Mexico.
A seventh person who was in a vehicle on the ground was also killed during the crash.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, officials identified the man as 37-year-old Steven Dreuitt of Philadelphia.
Dominique was one of the at least 22 people on the ground who were injured during the crash. During a Sunday morning press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said five victims remain hospitalized and three are in critical condition.
Fletcher told NBC10 she hasn’t spoken to her cousin since before Friday night’s crash but doctors told her family that she’s fighting and responding to the medication.
“Nobody can make sense of this, because this is a tragedy,” Fletcher said. “Something that you never think will happen.”
Another person who remains hospitalized after the crash is 10-year-old Trey Howard. The boy's father, Andre Howard, told NBC10 his son was hit in the head with metal while in a car near the scene of the crash.
"The way it landed, it was only because he laid on his sister," Howard told NBC10. "He landed right on the right side of his head."
While the injured survivors continue to recover physically, the many residents who witnessed Friday’s chaos are recovering emotionally.
Saleena Temple told NBC10 her sister Alexis Lloyd lost her home during the crash. Temple said Lloyd was only a few feet away from the fiery impact.
“She was in the kitchen, cooking when it happened,” Temple said.
Temple told NBC10 the windows of her sister’s home on Rupert Street and Cottman Avenue then imploded from the force of the explosion. Lloyd was putting something in the trash and was bending over at the time. The family believes a higher power protected her from flying debris.
“She could have been struck by glass,” Temple said. “We believe in God. So we most definitely believe that, you know, God had hands on her. Yes.”
Lloyd’s 7-year-old daughter Kennedy wasn’t home at the time of the crash.
“I’m just glad that we’re all okay. And without them, I would be just so sad,” the girl told NBC10. “If my mom would have gone to heaven, I would just be so sad.”
Lloyd and her daughter are currently staying at a senior high rise with Alexis' mother. Temple said her sister will need counseling to help deal with the trauma of what she saw. She also said her family has received help from others.
“There’s been lots of love,” Temple said. “Outpouring of support. And that’s very much appreciated.”
Learn more about resources for the victims of the crash here.
