Early Friday morning, Philadelphia bid a final farewell to the six victims of the medical jet crash that happened in late January. Their remains left the Mexican Consulate in Center City and were taken back to their home country of Mexico. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle was there for the solemn departure.
The remains of the six victims on board a medical jet bound for Mexico when it crashed down in Northeast Philadelphia earlier this year are headed back to their home country.
Early on Friday, April 4, 2025, people carried boxes containing the ashes of the Mexicans who were killed in the Jan. 31, 2025, crash that took place soon after the Mexico-bound medical transport took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport after a child on board had a medical procedure in Philly.
Carlos G. Obrador Garrido Cuesta, head consul of the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia and his team transported urns containing the remains of 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo, her mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, Captain Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla from their office at 17th and Arch streets into waiting vehicles.
The boxes containing the remains were then driven to Philadelphia International Airport via police escort. Once at PHL, the urns would be put onto a plane and taken home to Mexico.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Garrido Cuesta said the Mexican government has appreciated "from the bottom of our hearts everything that has been done for some closure for the families" by American investigators.
Garrido Cuesta said he will personally meet with other Mexican officials and their loved ones during a ceremony later on Friday in Mexico City.
Friday’s repatriation comes just over two months since the medical jet crashed along Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. About two dozen people were hurt, a man on the ground was killed and man homes and businesses were damaged.
Last month the NTSB released a preliminary report that revealed the plane’s black box recording wasn’t working at the time the jet plummeted to the ground.
American teams have been working with Mexican authorities to investigate the plane’s mechanical upkeep and a possible cause for the crash.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
