NJ Pilot Killed In Plane Crash At Florida Therapy Center: Reports

Two people – including a 51-year-old pilot from New Jersey – were killed in a plane crash at a therapy center for autistic children in Florida this weekend, according to reports.

Eight teachers and five children were in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. area building when the plane crashed on Sunday, according to WPLG-TV. One of the teachers suffered minor injuries as she helped children leave the building.

Eladio Marquez, a flight instructor from Rahway who owned the plane, a Cessna 335, which is registered in New Jersey, died in the crash, according to ABC7.

His wife told the Telemundo station in South Florida that Marquez was flying with a friend who was also a former flight student. She said Marquez had been flying for 12 years and been an instructor for 10 years, according to NBC4 New York.

A Florida business’s surveillance camera captured video footage of a small plane exploding into a fireball. Video footage shows the plane skidding across the parking lot, followed by heavy smoke, and then erupting into flames.

Several people, including children, could be seen running out of the building.

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