New Jersey Native Among Those Killed in Maryland Plane Crash
New Jersey native Marie Gemmel and her two young sons were among the six people killed Monday afternoon when a plane crashed into her home in Maryland.
The 36-year old, a 1997 graduate of Brick Twp. High School, was found huddled over her 7-week old and 3-year old sons in an upstairs bathroom of her Gaithersburg, Maryland home. Authorities believe the mother was trapped by smoke and flames following the plane crash, NBCPhiladelphia.com reports. All three perished.
The jet, en route to the Montgomery County Airpark, crashed just before 11 a.m. Monday, the plane's wing carving a narrow gash through the roof of Gemmel's home. A fuel explosion also caused a large, deadly fire at a nearby house.
Firefighters said the flames were too large and too dangerous to do a top-to-bottom search.
It's tragic to learn that only hours before the crash, Gemmell posted to her Facebook page that she intended to "stay home" Monday and watch TV with her kids. Gemmel's husband was at work and her daughter at school at the time of the accident.
All three people aboard the jet were also killed.