A private jet carrying six people crashed onto a Texas highway late Tuesday night, killing one person and injuring several others in a dramatic scene captured on dashcam footage.
The Cessna 680A business jet, operated by NetJets, went down around 10 p.m. south of Laredo, Texas, a city situated near the Mexican border, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
FlightAware data showed the aircraft was a Cessna Citation Latitude twin-engine jet that had departed Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m., bound for Austin, Texas.
Austin-based startup accelerator Capital Factory confirmed to ABC Austin affiliate KVUE that its CEO, Joshua Baer, was killed in the crash, with three teenagers and two pilots also on board.
Some of the passengers were related and some were friends, according to police, who noted the group had connections to Austin’s technology entrepreneurship community.
Just five minutes before the crash, the pilots contacted Laredo airport and reported mechanical issues, according to Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez.
Dashcam footage posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway, striking a lamppost and a car before coming to a stop, with the impact nearly shearing the plane completely in half.
Bystanders rushed toward the burning aircraft carrying a shovel and a sledgehammer, using the tools to strike the cockpit glass and pry the door open so passengers could escape.
When firefighters arrived, several people were already outside the plane with assistance from community members and police, said Laredo Fire Chief Guillermo Heard, adding that crews then entered the aircraft to retrieve the remaining person on board along with a small pet.
Five police officers were transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation and were later released, while the road remained closed for an extended period due to jet fuel spilled across the highway.
Sen. Ted Cruz said the victim was Josh Baer, who founded Capital Factory, stating on X that “Josh has been one of the most significant figures driving innovation and entrepreneurship across America.”
NetJets, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was part of its fleet and said it is cooperating fully with authorities investigating the incident.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have both opened investigations into the cause of the crash, with part of the aircraft remaining on the road into early Wednesday morning.
