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Learjet crash near New York City kills 2 crew members

CARLSTADT, N.J. (AP) – A jet crashed into a building near a small airport on Monday, killing two crew members and sparking a fire that sent thick, black smoke spewing into the air, authorities said.

Police said no passengers were aboard the Learjet 35 when it went down around 3:30 p.m. Monday near Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just west of New York City. It wasn’t clear if anyone on the ground was injured.

Emergency responders reached the scene a short time later and were working to extinguish the blaze.

The plane crashed into a building in an industrial area, said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the town of Carlstadt.

He said it crashed next to a township facility, but no one in that building was harmed inside. He said pieces of melted engine could be seen in the wreckage, along with wheels and part of the fuselage.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the jet left Philadelphia and went down in Carlstadt.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Steve Case, an entrepreneur and co-founder of AOL, wrote in an Instagram post that the plane appeared to have missed a turn and crashed a few hundred yards from the airport. He was aboard another plane at the airport at the time.

A Carlstadt police spokesman said the jet appeared to be listing to its side before it went down.

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