<\/p>\n
The wreckage of a private aircraft rests on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
A screen grab of eyewitness footage from Zayra Garza shows first responders rescuing people from the plane that crashed on Bob Bullock Loop in Laredo on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
Courtesy\/Zayra Garza<\/p>\n
The wreckage of a private aircraft rests on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
An emergency responder stands near the wreckage of a private aircraft on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
Emergency responders work around the wreckage of a private aircraft on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
Emergency responders work around the wreckage of a private aircraft on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
Laredo Police Department Public Information Officer Joe Baeza speaks with reporters during a briefing about a plane crash in Laredo, Texas, on June 17, 2026. Authorities said a private aircraft carrying six people crashed on Loop 20 on June 16, killing one person.<\/p>\n
Jose De La Rosa\/Laredo Morning Times<\/p>\n
Capital Factory founder Joshua\u00a0Baer, a visionary force in the Texas technology and start-up ecosystem, died Tuesday night in a private plane crash near Laredo.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The jet\u2019s crew reported mechanical issues to Laredo International Airport and was attempting to reach the field when the crash occurred on Loop 20 east of the border city. Five other people aboard survived.\u00a0The flight was bound for Austin from Mexico.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Capital Factory CEO and founder Joshua Baer is seen in 2022 at Port San Antonio, where his firm opened an office that year. He died in a plane crash late Tuesday in Laredo.<\/p>\n
San Antonio Express-News file photo<\/p>\n
Baer was CEO of the Austin-based venture capital firm and business accelerator, which he founded in 2009 and that has operations across the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoshua was a fearless leader, a brilliant partner, and a dear friend to so many of us,\u201d Capital Factory President Bryan Chambers said Wednesday. \u201cWhile we are devastated by this unimaginable loss, Josh built an incredibly resilient organization and team. Capital Factory remains fully operational, and we are completely committed to continuing his mission of backing unstoppable founders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crash, which was reported about 10 p.m., shut down highway traffic near Saunders Street and Clark Boulevard, according to the Laredo Police Department<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Videos posted online by witnesses at the scene show the aircraft on its side, in flames and smashed into a highway barrier. Motorists who stopped on the highway can be seen trying to break the cockpit windows and pry open a door to free people inside before first responders from the Laredo Fire Department and other agencies arrived.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the loss of life is deeply regrettable, it is nothing short of a miracle that this tragedy did not become a mass fatality event,\u201d Laredo Mayor Victor Trevi\u00f1o told a news conference.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Five responding officers were treated for smoke inhalation.<\/p>\n Photos from scene show the plane split open and lying across a highway median divider.<\/p>\n The flight departed from Los Cabos International Airport in the Mexican resort city of San Jos\u00e9 del Cabo\u00a0at 7:19 p.m. Central time and was on its way to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport when it crashed, according to tracking data from FlightAware.com<\/a>. The jet, a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, had operated three successful flights earlier Tuesday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez said Wednesday that the crew\u2019s call to air traffic controllers \u201cmentioned low fuel and a power outage.\u201d<\/p>\n Witness video from the moment of the crash showed the aircraft careening down the highway and knocking down light poles before coming to a stop. It also barreled into a car, sending one motorist to a hospital in stable condition, police said.<\/p>\n The Cessna was part of the\u00a0NetJets fleet, which allows customers to purchase ownership stakes in private jets.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are activating our crisis response and family support teams to support those affected and their loved ones, and we are deploying a team of experts to the site of the accident,\u201d NetJets said in a statement.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating along with the National Transportation Safety Board.<\/p>\n Who was Joshua Baer?<\/p>\n