A Harrier jet crashed in a residential area, demolishing two homes and causing extreme damage to a third. The plane that crashed into a Southern California neighborhood exploded in flames.
According to the Associated Press, Marine Lt. Col. John Ferguson said that debris from the jet hit the roof of one of the houses.
The Harrier AV-8B plane had taken off from Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma. The jet crashed for reasons that were not immediately clear.
The pilot was near his destination at Naval Air Facility El Centro when he ejected from the plane, and landed in a nearby field. He ejected just before 4:20p.m. in Imperial Valley, San Diego, according to officials with the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The accident also astounded area residents. Bystander Jose Santos said that he was driving to the crash scene when he saw the pilot “rolling from side to side.” According to the NY Daily News, base officials said that the pilot was brought to a hospital to check for injuries.