Updated Sunday, April 13, at 12:00 p.m., with identity of crash victims.
Three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed Friday morning in South Florida near a major interstate highway and pushed a car onto railroad tracks, officials said.
Boca Raton Fire Rescue assistant chief Michael LaSalle said the plane crash that killed all three people on board emitted a fireball when it hit the ground, injuring a person in a nearby car. LaSalle said several roads near the Boca Raton Airport will remain closed near Interstate 95 over the weekend.
Possible plane crash right outside my office today. Shook the whole building. Unfortunately I'm certain lives were lost here today. Thoughts and prayers to anyone who survived and the families of those who didn't.
— D on X (@DrDronezChannel)
If you're in stay away from military trail near鈥�
Those those killed were identified as:
Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton
Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach
Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach
The injured victim was Pablo Tafur, 24, of Boca Raton. Authorities said he had "non-life-threatening injuries."
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Cessna 310 with three people on board. It went down about 10:20 a.m. after departing from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee, the FAA said in an email.
Fire officials told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the aircraft appeared to have pushed a car onto the railroad tracks, leading to the tracks' closure.
READ MORE: Helicopter crashes into Hudson River, killing 6, including family of Spanish tourists
Josh Orsino, 31, said he was stopped at a red light at a nearby overpass when he heard a loud explosion and saw a huge fireball come toward him.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just sitting there, and I see the palm trees start catching on fire,鈥� Orsino said. 鈥淚 thought it was an oil rig or a car crash type thing.鈥�
Orsino said everyone was honking and trying to get off the overpass, not sure if it was going to collapse.
鈥淪o I didn鈥檛 know if the fire was going to come towards the vehicles, I mean, my first instinct was like, I got to get off this bridge. I鈥檓 getting out of here,鈥� Orsino said.
Miguel Coka, 51, who works near the Boca Raton airport, said he is used to seeing planes flying low as they prepare to land. But this time, he and his colleagues noticed something was off.
鈥淭here was a rumble and everyone in the building felt it,鈥� he said when the plane crashed. 鈥淲e are all shocked.鈥�
He captured the smoke and flames from the crash from his office balcony on video.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said the investigation was just beginning.
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: N. Military Trail is closed between NW 19th St. and Butts Rd. due to small aircraft crash. I-95 overpass at Glades Rd. is also closed eastbound and westbound. Avoid the Area.
— Boca Raton Police (@BocaPolice)
鈥淲e are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today within our community. At this time, details are still emerging, and we are working closely with emergency responders and authorities," Singer said in a statement. 鈥淥ur thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event. We ask for patience and respect for the families involved as investigations continue.鈥�
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe.
NTSB officials arrived at the scene Friday afternoon and began collecting evidence and taking photos as part of their preliminary investigation. The plane wreckage will be taken to a salvage facility in Jacksonville for further investigation. The NTSB will release a preliminary report in 30 days, followed by a final report with the likely cause of the crash in 12 to 24 months.
The small plane crashed in South Florida a day after a New York City broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists.
Federal officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is the safest mode of transportation, and statistics support that. But have been drawing more scrutiny.
In March, an American Airlines plane , sending 12 people to the hospital.
An airliner while taxiing at the Seattle airport.
In January, were killed when a medical transport plane plummeted into a Philadelphia neighborhood. That happened two days after an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair in Washington in the in a generation.
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Associated Press producer Beatrice Dupuy contributed to this report from New York.
