A business jet crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, late Tuesday night, and several motorists rushed to help save the passengers. The plane, a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, was operated by NetJets and was bound for Austin, Texas, from the Mexican resort city of San José del Cabo.

Volunteers Risk Their Lives to Save Passengers

Ivan Franco, a 23-year-old from Laredo, was one of the motorists who stopped to help. He grabbed a sledgehammer and three fire extinguishers from his tow truck and rushed to the scene. Franco and other volunteers, including Zayra Garza and her husband, tried to break the cockpit windows to free the passengers. However, the windows were designed to be structurally sound and withstood the attempts to break them.

Police officers and firefighters eventually arrived at the scene and helped remove the passengers from the plane. One person, Joshua Baer, 50, a leader in Texas’ technology and startup sectors, was killed in the crash. Three male teenage passengers and two pilots survived, as did a person in a truck struck by the plane as it crashed.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the incident.

Community Comes Together to Support Victims

The community in Laredo has come together to support the victims of the crash. Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño praised the bravery and selflessness of the volunteers who helped save the passengers.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.