Hero neighbor speaks out after rushing to help plane crash passengers

Hero neighbors save people from Florida plane crash
Courtesy of Giovanna Hanley
July 15, 2025, 9:50 AM

Neighbors in Florida are speaking out after helping to save four people, after the plane they were traveling in crashed into a tree and went up in flames.

The small plane crashed in Pembroke Pines on Saturday, 1 mile short of a runway at North Perry Airport.

The incident was caught on surveillance video and by neighbors, who were seen rushing to the scene.

A small plane crashed on July 12 in a residential neighborhood in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Courtesy of Giovanna Hanley

One neighbor, TJ Jordan, told ABC News Miami station WPLG the plane's engine "was burning 25 yards from my house, my son's room."

Resident Giovanna Hanley told ABC News she, her father-in-law and their neighbors didn't hesitate to help.

Giovanna Hanley speaks with ABC News and describes how she and her father-in-law worked on July 12 to help plane crash passengers in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
ABC News

"One [person] brought over an ax. We had two neighbors with a hose jumping in," said Hanley. "My father-in-law took the ax to the the window, starting to break it. Someone even brought over a fire extinguisher."

Hanley and her father-in-law were two of the first people at the scene and worked to clear a path to get passengers out.

"My father-in-law jumped into action not looking for any accolades or praise," Hanley said. "They did it because that's just the type of people they are."

Four passengers were rescued and hospitalized following the plane crash.

Residents tell ABC News they've experienced accidents like this before and they now live in fear that at any moment that their neighborhood, streets, and homes could become part of a landing strip.

The National Transportation Safety Board has an opened an investigation into the incident.

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