CEO Of Philadelphia Company Killed In Train Derailment
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The missing CEO of a Philadelphia technology firm is among one of those killed in Tuesday night's deadly train derailment in Port Richmond, according to a statement from her family.
Rachel Jacobs, the CEO of online learning startup ApprenNet based in Philadelphia, was on Amtrak train 188 that derailed in Port Richmond late Tuesday night.
Her family released a statement Wednesday night:
"This is an unthinkable tragedy. Rachel was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend. She was devoted to her family, her community and the pursuit of social justice. We cannot imagine life without her. We respectfully ask for privacy so that we can begin the process of grieving."
A friend told Eyewitness News that Jacobs texted her husband around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday stating that she was on the train.
The 39-year-old Jacobs was in Philadelphia for a meeting Tuesday. She commuted to Philadelphia twice a week from her home in New York.
A friend of Jacobs said they are having a difficult time locating Jacobs.
"She was definitely on the train. What's happening with that is they don't have her on the list because she didn't have a reserve ticket. She has a 10 pass and because of the 10 pass, they didn't have her name on the list. A 10 pass works that you can get on at anytime, and what Amtrak thinks may have happened is they didn't get a chance to scan her ticket. And as a result of not scanning her ticket, she's not on an actual list, which is making it hard for us to find her," Emily Foote, Jacobs' friend told Eyewitness News.
Foote said Jacobs has a two-year-old child.
