A Jewish couple died in the crash of their small private plane off the coast of Jamaica on Friday after veering far off its course toward southwest Florida and triggering a U.S. security alert that prompted a fighter jet escort.
A New York county official said that the people on board the plane included Jewish Rochester, New York, developer Larry Glazer and his wife, Jane Glazer, both aged 68.
The pilot stopped responding to radio calls about an hour after take-off from Greater Rochester International Airport in New York and was headed to Naples Municipal Airport in Florida, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Lawrence Fine, the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Rochester, said that the Glazers were very involved in Jewish and community life and were outstanding people.
“They were both leaders in the community and the business world,” Fine said.
Glazer’s company, Buckingham Properties, boasts Rochester's largest commercial real estate portfolio. The company owned more than 10 million square feet of real estate in downtown Rochester.