NJ Native Among 6 Killed In New York Plane Crash

TEWKSBURY, NJ — A Hunterdon County native and MIT graduate was among six people killed in a plane crash in upstate New York on Saturday.

James Santoro, who grew up in Tewksbury, was on board the flight with his girlfriend Karenna Groff.

"He was looking forward to proposing to his love Karenna, this summer," according to a statement from the families of those on board.

He is a graduate of the Delbarton School and MIT, where he studied finance. Santoro was an Investment Associate at Silver Point Capital.

"He loved his friends, traveling, reading, and living in New York City," according to a family statement.

He is survived by his parents, Lisa and John, his younger sister, Caroline, grandfathers John Santoro and Donald McCreery, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, colleagues, and friends.

Also on board were Groff's parents Michael Groff, a neurosurgeon and the pilot who got his license at the age of 16, and Joy Saini, an accomplished pelvic surgeon.

The Groff's son, Jared Groff, a paralegal who was weighing law school acceptance for the fall, and his girlfriend, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, who was passionate about immigration law and policy and was accepted to Harvard Law School this fall.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved family members Michael, Jared, and Karenna Groff, Joy Saini, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and James Santoro, who died tragically in Saturday afternoon's plane crash in Columbia County, New York. We will remember them as the six brilliant, dynamic, and loving people that they were," according to the family statement.

Plane Crash

The crash happened around noon on April 12 when a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 with tail number N635TA, crashed 10 miles from the Columbia County airport in New York.

The personal plane had left Westchester County Airport and were trying to land at the Columbia Airport where "they had relatives who were in the area," said Todd Inman with the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) during a press conference on Sunday.

"They were coming in for a holiday celebration with family," said Inman.

Albert Nixon with the NTSB said that during the plane's approach to the Columbia County Airport, the pilot reported a missed approach.

"He requested vectors for another approach, and as he was being vectored, the radar indicated a low-altitude alert," said Nixon.

The air traffic controller tried to relay the alert to the pilot and also tried to contact them three more times.

"Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. There was no response from the pilot, and there was no distress call," said Nixon.

A video near the area captured the crash in its final seconds. The plane crashed in a flat field about 100 yards in length "with the aircraft being compressed, buckled, and embedded into the terrain.," said Inman.

"The video seen appears to show the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground," said Inman.

The plane was destroyed and the pilot and five passengers were fatally injured.

"I want to express our sincere condolences for the families and survivors of the families and everyone who knew someone who perished in this accident. We are truly sorry anytime anyone has to go through this," said Inman.

NTSB investigators will remain at the scene for one collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. All aspects of this accident remain under investigation.

A preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident. A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months, according to the NTSB.

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