At least three passengers from the plane crash at Teterboro Airport owe their lives to the quick, selfless actions of West New York resident Claudio Gomez, who pulled them to safety after the Bombardier Challenger CL-600 skidded across Route 46 Feb. 2.
The plane rammed into the apparel warehouse of the Strawberry retail company, where Gomez works as the assistant supply/shipment manager.
“I was on the loading dock receiving supplies to send out to the stores,” said Gomez, 32, last week. “I had just finished signing [for the order], and that’s when I heard my friend scream.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s website, at approximately 7:17 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Bombardier Challenger CL-600, N370V, which is operated by Platinum Jet Management, overran the departure end of runway 6 at Teterboro en route to Chicago’s Midway Airport in Illinois. The plane impacted a fence, crossed Route 46, colliding with cars, and struck the Strawberry warehouse.
Amazingly, no one was killed.
Gomez remembers hearing a sound, but it was muffled by a delivery truck’s roaring engine. It wasn’t until he went outside that he saw a plane crashed halfway through the side of the warehouse.
Flames, smoke, and jet fuel were spewing from the wreckage, and Gomez worried of a possible explosion.
“I yelled for my boss to get away from the plane and call 911, and when I was about to go, I heard a woman screaming, ‘Help me, please,’ ” said Gomez.
Gomez turned around to find a passenger trying to exit the wreckage, but a massive snowdrift had blocked her way. He leaned against the enflamed plane in order to help free her, but no sooner was she out that another voice behind him was calling for help. A passenger approximately in his 50s was trying to take the same route out, and once again Gomez went back to help. It seemed that every time he turned around, another voice was calling.
“All this took place within a period of 20 minutes. There is just no time for you to think,” said Gomez.
The events of the day are a bit of a blur for Gomez, who remembers helping three to five people get away from the wreckage. The one man he does remember very clearly was the co-pilot of the plane, who told him not to risk his life.
“He was on the floor next to a river of fuel, and he was stuck,” said Gomez. “I grabbed him, but he kept saying, leave me, save yourself. That man had more heart than me.”
Gomez believes the co-pilot knew the plane could explode any minute, and didn’t want Gomez caught in the impact. The more he tried to help, the more the co-pilot resisted and urged him to flee.
“At one point, I remembered getting a bit angered, and I raised my voice to him,” said Gomez. “I told him, I need your help and you need my help, now be a man and try to get on your feet.”
With that, the co-pilot stumbled up with the help of Gomez, and the two men limped to safety.
At the time of the crash, there were approximately 30 to 40 people in the warehouse. According to Gomez, one of the workers was hurt because he had been in the area of the crash site. It is speculated that he was knocked unconscious by the debris, and when he came to, he found himself underneath the nose of the plane. Gomez discovered him there and helped him out of the warehouse. The worker has since been treated along with the rest of the injured at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Afterwards, Gomez, who was covered in jet fuel, went and embraced his wife, who also works at the warehouse. “I hugged my wife and I cried,” said Gomez.
However, his heroic actions did not end there, although everyone was safely out of the plane and the warehouse. Gomez was still worried of an explosion. He proceeded to direct the crowd, who has been standing in the freezing cold without their coat, to the company’s other warehouse on Reiser Street while emergency vehicles arrived. After making sure everyone was settled, Gomez went back to the crash site to get the coats from the warehouse, and then he proceeded to buy some coffee and hot chocolate for everyone from Dunkin Donuts. The feared explosion never occurred.
“I feel like I had been in complete control [the entire time],” said Gomez.
It wasn’t until after he went home and showered that the reality of what he had done sunk in, and he began to tremble and cry.
“I couldn’t stand the smell of the smoke and fuel, so I took off all my clothes and put everything in a black bag, and went to take a shower,” said Gomez.
He was still wrapped in his towel sitting on the bed when it hit him that he could have been killed. Gomez has since been apologizing to his wife and 2-year-old son for taking such a risk and not thinking of them.
“I still had my towel on, and I just started to tremble,” said Gomez. “I remembered nothing, not even my son.”
Gomez and his wife had been coughing profusely since they had gone home, so they went to Hackensack Medical Center, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.
No one is currently allowed back in the warehouse except for investigators, but Gomez and some of his co-workers were allowed to enter and collect what could be salvaged. The warehouse still carries and eerie presence for Gomez, who couldn’t stay long.
“I came out running,” he said. “I just got goose bumps.”
Since the incident, Gomez has been praised for his heroic efforts by his peers and local media. He has also received the grateful thanks from some of the people he helped save. However, for Gomez, the greatest demonstration of courage was not his own, but that of the co-pilot who was willing to stay behind so that he wouldn’t continue to endanger his life.
“I think about it when people say how strong and courageous I am for what I did, but for me, the co-pilot was braver and stronger than me,” said Gomez. “I did what any person would have done in my place, and that’s how I look at it.”
According to Keith Holloway, public affairs officer for the NTSB, the wreckage itself has already been removed, and the matter is still under investigation.
“We haven’t determined the cause of the crash. It’s still early in the investigation,” said Holloway. “We have documented the wreckage, continued to gather information, and reviewed some of the interviews we have conducted.”
As of Wednesday, the latest information on the NTSB’s website registered a total of four people seriously injured, seven uninjured, and some minor injuries. The pilot and copilot sustained non-life threatening serious injuries, a cabin aide on board sustained minor injuries, and all eight passengers also survived the accident with minor injuries.
In regards to the incident, Tony Ciavolella, spokesperson for the Port Authority, has said, “It is unfortunate what happened, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is thoroughly investigating the incident. The Port Authority and local elected officials understand the concerns that residents have in the neighboring community of the Teterboro Airport, and in the past the Port Authority has taken steps to address these issues. The Port Authority will continue its close working relations with Gov. Codey and local elected officials to insure the safety of the people who live, work, and use the airport.”