Debris from the Boca Raton plane crash on April 11, 2025.. Photo:
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty
The three passengers on the small plane that crashed this week in Boca Raton, Fla., have been identified.
According to a statement from the Boca Raton Police Department, the three passengers were identified as Robert Stark, 81; Stephen Stark, 54; and Brooke Stark, 17. Robert was a resident of Boca Raton, while Stephen and Brooke resided in nearby Delray Beach.
The statement police did not specify the relationship between the three people. It also did not state who was flying the plane.
The other person who was involved in the crash, due to the fire and falling debris, was identified as Pablo Tafur, 24, per police. He was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first confirmed to PEOPLE that a Cessna 310 had crashed into a roadway on Friday, April 11, at around 10:20 a.m. local time.
The Boca Raton Fire Rescue said responding units were on the scene by 11 a.m. after the “small aircraft” landed near I-95 and Glades Road.
A small plane crashed on the railroad tracks beneath the overpass at Glades Road and Military Trail near Interstate 95 in Boca Raton on Friday, April 11, 2025. Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today within our community,” Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said in a statement, according to CNN.
He added, “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event. We ask for patience and respect for the families involved as investigations continue.”
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Aerial footage shared by WTVJ showed debris littering the roadway and on neighboring train tracks. What appeared to be two bodies could be seen in the wreckage from the crash, as well as a damaged vehicle, the outlet reported.
One bystander who spoke to the Associated Press said he was used to seeing flow-flying planes near the Boca Raton Airport, but he and his co-workers noticed that something was wrong as soon as the Cessna flew overhead.
“There was a rumble, and everyone in the building felt it,” Miguel Coka, 51, said of the crash. “We are all shocked.”
The plane was en route to Tallahassee International Airport before the crash, the FAA said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are continuing to investigate the incident.
The small plane crash in Boca Raton came just one day after a New York City tourism helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five from Spain.
