Victims Of I-684 Plane Crash In Westchester ID'd By Authorities

HARRISON, NY — Officials have released the identities of the victims of Thursday night's plane crash near Westchester County Airport.

The crash of a small aircraft in Westchester County Thursday evening took the life of one person and created a traffic nightmare near the Westchester County Airport until well into the early morning hours on Friday.

The passenger on the plane was identified as 33-year-old Jacob Yankele Friedman, of Monsey, state police said. Friedman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The pilot, identified as 26-year-old Kalmen Goldberger, of Linden, New Jersey, was taken to Westchester Medical Center.

"A single-engine Tecnam P-2008 crashed near Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, around 7:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, Dec. 12, after the pilot reported engine issues," an FAA spokesperson told Patch Thursday night. "Two people were on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates."

The airplane crashed onto I-684. Published images showed the mangled aircraft in the median between lanes.

State police said the small plane crashed on the interstate highway near Exit 2 in the Town of Harrison.

I-684 remained closed in both directions, until well into the overnight hours, with detours in place. All six lanes were closed at mile marker 4.4, according to the NYSDOT.

As of midnight, the highway was still closed in both directions, between Exit 9A - I-287 (Harrison) and Exit 3 S/N - NY 22 - Bedford - Armonk (North Castle), but was reopened in time for the morning commute.

"I have been briefed on a small aircraft crash near Exit 2 on I-684 in the City of Harrison in Westchester County," Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement released Thursday night. "State Police immediately responded with local emergency responders and determined there were two people on board, and one person has been confirmed deceased and the other is in serious condition. The highway has been closed in both directions as the investigation continues. The crash also caused an aviation gas spill, which DEC is working rapidly to contain and clean up. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those on board during this tragic incident, and I am praying for a safe recovery for the injured individual."

According to Flight Aware, the aircraft departed from Linden, New Jersey less than an hour before the crash. The plane was heading north when it began losing altitude and turned sharply towards Westchester County Airport and then declared an emergency.

The NTSB is asking that anyone who witnessed this accident, or who may have dash camera footage which captured the accident, to contact them via email.