The life of a senior high school student has entered a tragedy after the entire family was killed in a crash crash in an upstate New York private jet on Saturday.
Annika Groef did not accompany her family on a plane that tragically crashed in Copeki near the Massachusetts border. Her parents, neuroscientist Michael Groff and urologist Joy Saini, were killed along with her two older brothers, Karenna and Jared Groff.
Her eldest son attended Annika Groff’s same Massachusetts School, and her graduated brothers and sisters were confirmed in a Weston School District statement obtained by Dailymail.
“Two of our alumni, Karenna Groff (2018) and Jared Groff (2017), their parents and several friends were killed yesterday in a small plane crash in New York. Their lives ended too quickly.
“For students who are grieving the loss of their families, especially their loved ones, we ask that all members of our community celebrate their privacy during this deep personal time. Our role as a school community is to surround them with quiet care, compassion and healing spaces.”
Karenna’s boyfriend James Santoro and Jared’s partner Alexia Couutas Duartem also crashed.
MIT alumni Karenna Groff and James Santoro have found success in New York City, where they study medicine and pursue funding, respectively. The couple reportedly planned to get engaged this summer.
“They were a great family,” said James’ father, John Santoro. “The world has lost many very good people who were going to do a lot of good things for the world if they had the opportunity.
“We’re all personally devastated.”
Michael Groff is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an experienced pilot, as well as executive director of Rochester Regional Health neuroscience. According to a family statement, he met Sani, the founder of Boston’s Pelvic Health and Wellness, while training in medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Couyutas Duartem and Jared Groff were alumni of Swarthmore College, Michael Groff’s alma mater. They both worked as paralegals, and Jared Groff had plans to attend law school in the fall. statement From Swarthmore College.
According to the statement, Annika Groff was accepted to Swarthmore University, but announced that she would attend the University of North Carolina before the crash.
The private jet was departing from the White Plains airport to travel to the Catskill for birthdays and Passover celebrations as it spiraled into a “pretty muddy” field on Saturday.
The plane had flew less than an hour ago, but no issues had been discovered, a member of the National Traffic Safety Board told reporters Monday.
The pilot, whose name is not publicly known, radioed air traffic control over rerouting after missing the initial approach to Columbia County Airport.
The air traffic controllers later tried to retrieve the radio by paying attention to the low altitude warning, but never heard a reply from the pilot. Authorities said.
With post wire
