Neighbors, officials describe surreal moments after plane crashes in Northeast Philadelphia
Witnesses of the Northeast Philadelphia plane crash are reeling from what they saw Friday night after a small medical jet crashed killing seven people and injuring at least 20 victims.
Outside of a shelter established at Samuel Fels High School, Delores, who did not provide a last name, shared the story of how she evacuated her home after the plane crash Friday night. She told CBS News Philadelphia that she went outside and saw "there was a piece of the airplane at the steps and on fire, so I thought the house was on fire,"
She then tried to get down into the basement to chase after her dog and fell down the steps. Then she said she went out the backdoor from the basement and saw the back of her home was on fire.
"My neighbor's house in the back was totally engulfed in flames," Delores said. "My neighbor put the fire out that was in front of the door, and I got out the house, and it was just, a body on top of the roof, pieces on fire from the airplane all on the ground and stuff. It was just very, very terrifying. I'm very scared right now."
Rep. Jared Solomon described arriving at the scene which normally operates as a bustling commercial corridor.
"Besides the sounds of first responders, it was eerily quiet. No folks were walking, businesses were shuttered, and cars were charred. It was a really difficult scene."
Neighbors in the area are still trying to wrap their heads around how this could have happened. Some of whom returned to the scene Saturday morning to see what it looked like.
T'Chala Brooker, a resident of Mount Airy in the northwest part of the city, drove a few miles to the crash scene and left flowers.
"Everything that happens here affects all of us, not just one of us," Brooker said. "I wanted to show solidarity. I'm here, I'm here for any and everybody, not just those who lost their lives, but the ones that are still here. They're going to need support."
"I want their family members to know that they're not alone," Brooker added.
Waleska Matos, who lives on St. Vincent Street, said she was shopping at Macy's when she received a frantic phone call from her son.
"It was traumatizing actually," Matos said. "My son called me and said, 'Mom, the house is going to fall apart.'"
She said what is typically a 10-minute drive turned into more than an hour to get home.
"It was just a scary thought, doomsday when I couldn't get to my son," Matos said. "It felt like a movie."
Home security video captured the explosion and massive fireball that filled the sky over Northeast Philadelphia. Cars burst into flames, and debris was launched into the air.
"It was so violent. I threw my shoes on ran outside and heard everyone screaming," said Kyle Sokolowski, who was inside his home at the time.
Sokolowski said his home shook, and when he made it outside near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard he witnessed complete chaos and immediately helped a woman whose car caught fire.
"I kind of just guided her to the Dunkin Donuts called her family members and gave her my hoodie because she didn't have clothes on, they got burnt up from the fire," he said. "I'm very fortunate that our house was spared and my family is alright, but the loss of life is devastating," Sokolowski said.
Sabrina, who did not provide her last name, lives just a couple of blocks away from Cottman and Bustleton avenues, said while she wasn't home at the time of the crash, her family was. Her loved ones ran outside to see what happened after hearing the boom inside their home.
"It's just scary to think about like all the crashes. Like the ones that happened like in D.C. and then the one happening here," Sabrina said. It's just scary to think that maybe flying isn't the best thing to do right now."
Ayhan Tiryaki, manager at the Four Seasons Diner on Cottman Avenue, described the chaotic scene inside the restaurant moments after the plane crashed. He said a piece of metal hit a customer and left him bleeding from his head. "I put the napkin, paper towel [on] the head, to try to help him," Tiryaki said.
The diner reopened on Saturday, though Tiryaki said he believes a piece of debris from the plane damaged one of the building's windows.
