News

Blue Origin passenger Glen De Vries killed in New Jersey plane crash

by Sarakshi Rai - 11/12/21 6:58 PM ET

An entrepreneur who launched into space aboard the Blue Origin space craft with “Star Trek” actor William Shatner died in a plane crash on Thursday.

Forty-nine-year-old Glen De Vries died after a single-engine Cessna 172 went down in Sussex County, N.J. Thursday afternoon, according to CNN. He was accompanied by another man, Thomas Fischer, who was also killed in the crash.

The New Jersey State Police said that the plane crashed 40 miles northwest of New York City. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed to ABC News that they are investigating the event.

An initial report on the FAA website shows the aircraft was “destroyed” in the crash, which occurred “under unknown circumstances,” The New Jersey Herald reported.

Maria Njoku, a spokesperson for the FAA, told The Herald that a preliminary report on investigators’ findings will be released in about a week.

The FAA did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Last month, De Vries along with actor Shatner, Chris Boshuizen, and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers traveled to space. The travelers were launched into space with Blue Origin, an aerospace company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

In a statment posted to Twitter, Blue Origin expressed its condolences for De Vries.

“We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates.”

We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired. pic.twitter.com/1hwnjntTVs

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) November 12, 2021

De Vries was a molecular biologist, who co-founded Medidata Solutions, which has managed more than 25,000 clinical trials involving 7 million patients. The company was acquired by Dassault Systems for $5.8 billion in 1999.

“Our thoughts and support go out to Glen’s family,” said a spokesperson for Dassault Systèmes told CNN.

“Our deepest sympathy also goes out to our MEDIDATA team, which Glen co-founded. His tireless energy, empathy and pioneering spirit left their mark on everyone who knew him. We will truly miss Glen, but his dreams — which we share — live on: we will pursue progress in life sciences & healthcare as passionately as he did,” the report added.

Tags Amazon Blue Origin Glen De Vries Jeff Bezos Jeff Bezos plane crash Space travel