Victims ID’d after fiery plane crash kills 2, shuts down I-75 in Florida

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Interstate 75 was shut down Friday afternoon in Collier County after an airplane crashed on the roadway, damaging two vehicles, sparking a fire and killing two people, according to officials in Southwest Florida.

The incident happened near Naples just after 3 p.m. and southbound traffic on I-75 was closed at Immolakee Road (mile marker 111) while northbound traffic was closed at Golden Gate Parkway (mile marker 105).

Hours later around 7:43 p.m., the Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced that northbound lanes along I-75 had been reopened. Southbound lanes remained closed Saturday morning. The sheriff’s office said that drivers going south could use exit 105 to Golden State Parkway.

The CCSO said there are two confirmed fatalities. The sheriff’s office issued an update Saturday identifying the decedents as Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park; and second in command Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, of Pompano Beach.

Video from social media showed a private plane on fire, causing thick black smoke. Troopers said at least two vehicles were damaged in the crash, identifying them Saturday as a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a 2023 Nissan Armada SUV.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 48-year-old Naples man, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 66-year-old Massachusetts woman driving the SUV and her two passengers — an 85-year-old woman and a 31-year-old woman, both of Massachusetts — were not injured, troopers said.

The plane was a twin-jet Bombardier Canadair Challenger, based on the aircraft registration number. FlightAware plane tracker lists Hop-A-Jet — a global jet charter company based in Fort Lauderdale — as the plane’s operator.

According to the plane’s flight data, it had flown to Ohio State University Airport from Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning.

At the time of the crash, the plane had been scheduled to land at the Naples airport after departing from the Ohio airport shortly after 1 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement saying five people were on board the plane when it crashed. The sheriff’s office on Saturday identified the three survivors as crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, of Jupiter; and passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus, Ohio. The survivors were reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries, which were not described further.

The sheriff’s office said the FAA told it that I-75 in that area would be shut down for at least 24 hours.

In an update Saturday, FHP said the National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigative agency, relaying its request that anyone with video of the crash contact the NTSB and send the footage over via email.

This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for updates.

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