Transcript of Plane crashes near Philadelphia mall in massive explosion

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To go over here so we're not.

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Silver what do you think about what do you want.

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James saying all hands on deck. He had talked to governor Josh Shapiro and then he was on his way to Virginia Philadelphia

of the sky

I was walking through the neighborhood

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you please move your car it

procedures that are working right here. Guys you have to clear out.

You have to clear out. It's a bus.

You cannot stand here. The

clear cannot be there if that

making sure

wifi governor Joshua it

any other as it is to make my be able to gather I I have to assume that those who need medical attention have been

inside of their homes and actually this pains me I haven't seen many people with culture here come outside or even closer standing outside.

Or.

Whether they're in general aviation. The last thing they want to do is hurt anybody on the ground if their plane is in trouble that gymnastics it was in dire trouble when they took off from Northeast Philadelphia airport. So that is an investigation that could take months. But we really wanted to know what happened because you were saying right at the plane off that they would come through the checkpoint and then also when they're going to fly from the look up to Missouri they're going to load up those wings and they'll do your tank. That is probably why I was telling you how the heavy smell of this field which is around there and also how the plane spread so far through that debris field at that point crashed along Continent Avenue just past the floor part. People are saying it could have been even worse and it already is because the war couldn't have landed officials on the c and it could have been even worse. As we were hearing earlier a cupboard as well was diner it's a busy diner and it's open 247 company called Princess. But it's dinner time. It is crowded and then evacuated.

People were being called to get out. Plus everybody in the diner wanted to know what happened. So they were all furious that they were among the first onlookers who got close and then got known to get away. And they

hour as well. So Governor Josh Bearer should be here. January 20

Facebook.

That plane is full with gas.

Yeah, just took off.

Oh, it just took off.

It had just taken off the airport.

Yeah.

For real.

That's down my neighborhood. Oh, you filming.

Light. Turn around now.

That's what it was after that they got the.

Is my little film crew right here. He was right there with the plane of the name drone.

This.

This is Trump. This is Trump fault. Trump has just got. He got this like crazy.

Trump got stuff like. Like I got the camera crew. We here.

Down the road. This is crazy. You guys see how.

Engage.

I heard someone say, can you hear me? Was that directed at me.

That buddy.

Hey, Tim, what's in the library? Hey.

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Buddy.

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medical transport plane that. It was in fact a plane headed to Springfield, Missouri with a pediatric patient on it. So just really a devastating night for Philadelphia. And the weather just got worse and worse as the night went on. It was slightly raining earlier. Now it's raining heavily and it walks through on the scene trying to assist people we know another think three hours later, door to door trying to find anybody that knew they had been impacted. There was debris flying everywhere. This way Are okay on the fire department?

Oh, yeah, yeah, no problem.

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basically let's check out location where display breakfast was supposed to be and that location has been changed. You know, we stopped by another business, the Rick Diner. One of the workers there told me and they're moving

and

worried. Are they. They anxious

during a situation like this for what people are dealing with? Surprisingly though, there's still a lot of car traffic out.

You guys, CVS3. Okay. You know where CBS3 is.

I saw some of them walk down that way. But I also.

Go behind the cave. Guys, go behind the table. Let's go behind the table.

Guys. Guys, where are you going? There's nothing over there for you, I promise. You go on the other side of the tape, please.

Sir.

You know, I've been speaking with a.

Lot of witnesses the moment I got here. And right now we have Michael joining us.

He says he saw that, right?

Yes, ma'am. You bring me back to. I mean, I was just talking to my mom from the culture right next to Dunkin Donuts, and all of a sudden we Just heard this whirring and then this crash. And it was an explosion right next to Dunkin Donuts. And everyone just started screaming. My mom told me to back up, back up, back up. And they just got their nails done. They don't want to mess their nails up. I'm backing up. I'm trying to find a place to park. Help someone. It's who I am. I help people. And all of a sudden I just.

Go, guys, behind the tape. Let's go. Miss.

Yeah,

yeah, you guys have been airing it. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

My wife and my. My mom. Sorry. My mom is in bed trying to relax right now. No, sorry. And I gotta go to King of Prussia tomorrow. I gotta go there at 6am I'm like, yeah, that's not gonna be fine.

Trying to interview him. I said, I'm trying to interview him.

Oh, dude.

Okay, can you just stand in front of the camera for me? Thanks.

All right, Michael, first, could I just have you state your first and last name and spell it out for me?

Michael Hitchner. M I, C, H, A, E, L. Hitchner. H I, T, C, H, N, E.

R. And so what did you see tonight?

I was right next to Dunkin Donuts when I was telling my mom about getting my ears pursed with my daughter again. And we just heard this bang. Bill only caught a purple and orange smoke. And then all of a sudden, screams. I mean, I've had PTSD before because a guy was shot outside my house. So loud noises bothered me. I was stunned. And then I'm being yelled to reverse. I'm like, I can't. There was people behind me. There are people driving up on the embankments to get past everyone. And then I parked my car little whiles away, and I instantly get out of my car, drawing to anyone that I can see that just needs help. I mean, that's one of the things my parents taught me. If you see someone that needs help, help them. And that's what I do.

And tell me a little bit about what you saw in the next moments.

My wife saw a dispute. Disembodied foot. I saw a disembodied arm. I saw mental supplies scattered everywhere. I saw explosions happening from various cars. I was on Cotman, this side of Cotman. There was a car burned to a crisp with a baby seat in the back. And I've got two small children. I was absolutely scared, but I'm like, I need to find someone I can help because I cannot stand by and watch people just record. I can't do That I don't record. I help. I don't care about social media. I help so I can save lives.

What did you do to help?

I gave the shirt off my back to help a young child with a head laceration. A piece actually went through a red pickup's window, hit the kid. And the parents were shouting, help us. Help us. Help us. No one was around to help at the time. Cops are just approaching. I took the shirt off my back, gave to them, said, push this on his head. Keep pressure. I ran back to my car. I got ragged. I got anything I could find to absorb blood. Push on cuts. My mom worked at a doctor's office. She was there. She was helping me. She's disabled. She doesn't walk fast. She was walking fast. And cops were very thankful to us. They said, thank you very much. We've got this now. Please try to get out of here safely. There were three or four car accidents just getting out of the mall. And I'm like, I'm getting out of here. I got home, I threw up twice because the adrenaline just said, hi, I'm here. And I threw up. It was a very shocking and disturbing experience seeing everything that happened.

Did you know it was a plane?

Right away, I figured it was a helicopter, a plane, because I was hearing someone say it was a 747. I'm like, it's too small. We would have heard it. It was a big engine. I found out the Learjet 55. My sister works on airplanes, literally at Northeast Airport. Well, not anymore, actually. And she just. She texted me saying, yo, did you see that? Because she knew that I was gonna be right there. She was. She was worried. My entire family was worried. My daughter texted me saying, please be okay, please be okay, please be okay. And I literally got home and I collapsed. I was unable to do anything for a little while.

So when. When the cleaning initially crashed, you said the truck next to you got impaled with some debris. Did you see anything like that else going on around you, or was that.

Truck looking around you very much so. The car that was parked on Cotman on the side had a hole at least 2ft big in its windshield, and it was burning. I looked in. I don't know. I looked, and I couldn't see anyone. I'm hoping that the child got out safely. I don't know anymore. I wish I could find them because of the small silver car and say, thank you for being alive. Thank you for getting out. The brunt of the impact was absorbed by Dunkin Donuts and then I've been scared, but this was a new level.

All right, thanks so much, Mike.

No problem. No problem.

That. That. Oh, great, Kelly. Thank you. Let's talk to Drew. Exactly. About the weather and the impact it. It could have played. And just also the conditions that these first responders police and fire are dealing with now because they've been on the scene for over four hours. It's not ideal. It's on a kind. Right. And let me just jump in on what Steve was talking about, but he talked about a low ceiling, which is.

Nobody. Yo, there's nothing over there for you, huh? Okay, guys. Girls, can you do me a favor? Get on the other side of the tape, please. Thank you.

Sorry.

Is the camera good here?

Well, you know, see, you know, I mean, I didn't even mention.

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there it to. Listen. Listen to that.

You're not listening to the word I.

Say, you know, so.

Take. All right.

Take.

Battery bud.

Yeah, thanks.

Girls. Girl. Guys, where you going? You can't go that way. Go, girl.

Hey, Officer?

Yes?

You like to come out?

Sure.

Go down that way.

Absolutely. Miss, where we going?

See, there's no. No spot on this one anyway. Yeah, the Durango.

Hey, if anyone can hear me right now, I won't be able to get any sort of communication because my phone died and it's too wet out here for me to charge it. It literally won't let me. So. Yeah, I don't know what to do. Someone's gonna have to come tell me. It's that I'.

I got the bookies with me too.

What was going on?

There's not much going on here now, but.