A US Navy jet crashed into a Southern California neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, setting three homes ablaze and causing eight other homes to be evacuated.
The Harrier AV-8B jet crashed into a neighborhood in Imperial, about 90 miles east of San Diego. The pilot ejected safely before the jet plowed into the ground, damaging three houses. No one on the ground was hurt, but residents say they were pretty close when it all went down.
“I heard like a pop and a whistle. And right when I looked up is when I saw the pilot eject,” said witness Shaun Penniman.
Residents described the crash as an unforgettable scene. Christopher Garcia, 11, who was two blocks away at a friend’s house, witnessed the homes going up in flames.
“A mushroom cloud of black and red smoke” rose above one house with a collapsed roof, he said. The garage of the house next door was on fire. He saw a woman crying outside saying, “That’s my house!”
This is the second incident this month involving an AV-8B Harrier jet going down. Thankfully in both incidents no one was seriously injured.
SOURCE: USA TODAY | VIDEO: News Inc.
