SAN DIEGO (AP) 鈥� The music agency Sound Talent Group said Thursday that three of its employees died on the private plane that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood.
The dead include Dave Shapiro, the agency鈥檚 co-founder. Shapiro is listed as the owner of the plane and has a pilot鈥檚 license, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Sound Talent Group has represented artists including Hanson, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.
The agency didn鈥檛 share the names of the other two employees who died.
鈥淲e are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today鈥檚 tragedy,鈥� the agency said in a statement.
Shapiro also owned a flight school called Velocity Aviation and a record label, Velocity Records, according to his LinkedIn page.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP鈥檚 earlier story follows below.
SAN DIEGO (AP) 鈥� A private jet crashed into a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in San Diego during foggy weather early Thursday, killing two people and igniting at least one home and numerous vehicles parked on the street.
Authorities couldn鈥檛 say definitively if both of the dead were on the plane. It's unknown how many were on board the plane, which could hold as many as 10 people, Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said at a news conference.
Several people were injured while trying to flee as flames raced down a single street after the crash just before 4 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon, the largest neighborhood of Navy-owned housing in the country. Others were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
A neighborhood is left looking like a war zone
At least one home was destroyed with its front heavily burned and its roof partially collapsed. About 10 others suffered damage at the site where half a dozen vehicles were melted and scorched into burned shells.
Ariya Waterworth said she woke up to a 鈥渨hooshing sound鈥� and then saw a giant fireball outside. She screamed for help as firefighters arrived and helped her get out with her two children and their family dog.
One of the family鈥檚 cars was 鈥渃ompletely disintegrated,鈥� and the other had extensive damage. Her yard was littered with plane parts, broken glass and debris.
鈥淚 definitely do feel blessed because we鈥檝e been spared,鈥� she said.
San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco said five people from a single family were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after evacuating to a nearby school. Another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee. Two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
At least 100 residents were evacuated, police said, with surrounding blocks cordoned off with yellow police tape and checkpoints. Jet fuel rolled down Salmon Street hours after the crash. The smell of fuel lingered in the air while authorities worked to extinguish one stubborn car fire that sent smoke billowing up.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,鈥� San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
The plane originates from a small New Jersey airport
San Diego officials haven鈥檛 released details about the plane but said it was a flight from the Midwest.
The flight tracking site FlightAware lists a Cessna Citation II jet scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Officials at the Kansas airport said it made a fueling stop in Wichita. The flight, according to FlightAware, originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Manhattan and is an airfield frequently used by private and corporate jets.
Audio recorded by includes a brief transmission from the pilot calling out that he was on final approach to the Montgomery-Gibbs airport and was about three miles out at 3:45 a.m.
The plane is owned by Daviation LLC, based in Alaska, and its owner held a pilot鈥檚 license, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Public records show the owner also had at least one address in San Diego. The Associated Press couldn鈥檛 immediately reach the owner, his family or business partners.
Rescuers help residents and pets escape
Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang. They grabbed their three young boys and ran out of the house. On their way out of the neighborhood, they saw a car engulfed in flames.
鈥淚t was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you鈥檝e just got to drop your head and get to safety,鈥� he said.
Police officers rescued multiple animals, including three husky puppies that were rolled away in a wagon. A few blocks away, families, including Moore's, stood in a parking lot waiting to learn when they could return to their homes.
The weather may have played a role in the crash
Eddy said it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed. 鈥淵ou could barely see in front of you," he said. Officials were looking into whether the plane had clipped a power line before crashing into the neighborhood that is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the Montgomery-Gibbs airport.
City Councilmember Raoul Castillo said residents told him dramatic stories 鈥渁bout military families helping military families out of their homes, jumping out of windows and avoiding fire.鈥�
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.
At that hour and in foggy weather, the plane was likely operating on an instrument flight rules plan, which is typically used during reduced visibility, said Barry Newman, a board-certified aviation attorney.
However, for that airport, once the aircraft reaches 673 feet (205 meters), the pilot also has to rely on his sight.
鈥淚f a pilot descends to that level and he can鈥檛 see the runway, he has to call for a missed approach or divert to another airport,鈥� Newman said.
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane , killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport.
In December 2008, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet slammed into a house in San Diego鈥檚 University City neighborhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error.
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Associated Press journalists Javier Arciga in San Diego; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
Julie Watson, The Associated Press
