3 music agency employees dead after plane crashes into California neighbourhood

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 22, 2025 6:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 38 minutes ago

The euphony bureau Sound Talent Group said Thursday that 3 of its employees, including co-founder Dave Shapiro, died connected the backstage level that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood.

Shapiro is listed arsenic the proprietor of the level and has a pilot's license, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Shapiro besides owned a formation schoolhouse called Velocity Aviation and a grounds label, Velocity Records, according to his LinkedIn page.

The bureau did not stock the names of the different 2 employees who died.

"We are devastated by the nonaccomplishment of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts spell retired to their families and to everyone impacted by today's tragedy," the bureau said successful a statement.

Sound Talent Group has represented artists including American popular set Hanson, American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton and Canadian stone radical Sum 41. Hanson is possibly champion known for its earworm 1990s popular hit, MMMBop.

American stone bands specified arsenic rosecoloredworld and Concrete Castles and the Japanese dense metallic band, Nemophila, are signed to Shapiro's Velocity Records.

Shapiro besides owned a formation school, Velocity Aviation.

San Diego authorities earlier said 2 radical had died. The full fig of fatalities is unknown, but six radical were connected committee the plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The backstage pitchy crashed aboriginal Thursday into a vicinity of U.S. Navy-owned lodging in San Diego during foggy weather, igniting astatine slightest 1 location and galore vehicles parked connected the street. The level clipped powerfulness lines earlier slamming into the house, said Elliot Simpson with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Several radical were injured portion trying to fly aft the clang conscionable earlier 4 a.m. successful Murphy Canyon, the largest vicinity of Navy-owned lodging successful the country. Others were treated for fume inhalation, authorities said.

Neighborhood deed hard

At slightest 1 location was destroyed with its beforehand heavy burned and its extortion partially collapsed. About 10 others suffered harm astatine the tract wherever fractional a twelve vehicles were melted and scorched into burned shells.

Ariya Waterworth said she woke up to a "whooshing sound" and past saw a elephantine fireball outside. She screamed for assistance arsenic firefighters arrived and helped her get retired with her 2 children and their household dog.

One of the family's cars was "completely disintegrated," and the different had extended damage. Her gait was littered with level parts, breached solid and debris.

"I decidedly bash consciousness blessed due to the fact that we've been spared," she said.

San Diego police serviceman Anthony Carrasco said 5 radical from a azygous household were taken to a infirmary for fume inhalation aft evacuating to a adjacent school. Another idiosyncratic was treated astatine a infirmary for injuries sustained portion climbing retired of a model trying to flee. Two others were treated for insignificant injuries astatine the scene.

At slightest 100 residents were evacuated from the neighbourhood, constabulary said, with surrounding blocks cordoned disconnected with yellowish constabulary portion and checkpoints. Jet substance rolled down Salmon Street hours aft the crash. The odor of substance lingered successful the aerial portion authorities worked to extinguish 1 stubborn car occurrence that sent fume billowing up.

"I can't rather enactment words to picture what the country looks like, but with the pitchy substance going down the street, and everything connected occurrence each astatine once, it was beauteous horrific to see," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

Plane took disconnected from New Jersey

The tracking tract FlightAware shows Shapiro's Cessna Citation II pitchy took disconnected from Teterboro, N.J., Wednesday nighttime and flew to Wichita, Kansas. Simpson said the level made a fueling halt successful Kansas earlier continuing connected to San Diego. The New Jersey airdrome wherever the formation originated is astir 10 kilometers from Manhattan and is an airfield often utilized by backstage and firm jets.

Audio recordings included a little transmission from the aviator calling retired that helium was connected last attack to the Montgomery-Gibbs airdrome and was little than 5 kilometres retired astatine 3:45 a.m. section time.

Rescuers assistance residents and pets escape

Christopher Moore, who lives 1 thoroughfare implicit from the clang site, said helium and his woman were awakened by a large bang. They grabbed their 3 young boys and ran retired of the house. On their mode retired of the neighborhood, they saw a car engulfed successful flames.

"It was decidedly horrifying for sure, but sometimes you've conscionable got to driblet your caput and get to safety," helium said.

Police officers rescued aggregate animals, including 3 husky puppies that were rolled distant successful a wagon. A fewer blocks away, families, including Moore's, stood successful a parking batch waiting to larn erstwhile they could instrumentality to their homes.

The upwind whitethorn person played a relation successful the crash

The FAA said the NTSB volition pb the investigation.