EL CAJON, Calif. — The second of four victims in Monday’s deadly jet crash near El Cajon was identified Tuesday by her colleagues.
Laurie Gentz, who had served as a local union president for Massachusetts-based International Association of EMTs and Paramedics, was confirmed in a Facebook post from the organization as one of the victims aboard the Learjet 35A aircraft that crashed about 7:15 p.m. near the 1200 block of Pepper Drive and North Mollison Avenue in the Bostonia neighborhood.
“The IAEP extends sincere condolences for the devastating and sudden loss of Local 162 President Laurie Gentz, her fellow passengers and the Learjet flight crew early this morning,” the group said. “President Gentz will be greatly missed by all who knew her and all who benefit from her selfless contributions to organized labor in the Greater San Diego area.”
The victim’s friend, Brian, told FOX 5 Gentz and her husband have been married for 29 years.
On Tuesday, the first victim was identified as Tina Ward, the wife of a recently retired Oceanside Fire Deputy Chief Joe Ward, according to a battalion chief in the Oceanside Fire Department.
The jet plane, which the Federal Aviation Administration said took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County and intended to land at Gillespie Field, crashed in the unincorporated Bostonia area, damaging one home and debris knocking out power to more than 2,500 San Diego Gas & Electric customers. Federal investigators say there were no survivors from the plane while nobody on the ground was hurt in the crash.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday, the pilot of the Learjet 35A, a business aircraft, changed their plans as they approached for landing at Gillespie Field. After initially getting approval to land on the small airport’s Runway 17, the pilot requested a change to Runway 27R. Shortly after, the plane was cleared to land on Runway 27R, but tragically crashed in a residential neighborhood, scattering piles of fiery wreckage in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street.
Crews from the NTSB expect to be in the El Cajon area for three days to document the site with one area of focus being to recover the cockpit voice recorder from the aircraft.
Those who witnessed the crash or have relevant information to the investigation were asked to contact investigators by email at witness@ntsb.gov.
FOX 5’s Dillon Davis and Matt Meyer contributed to this story.