Manny and Abigail Vargas.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
A beloved mother and father were among the six peoplekilled in a Southern California plane crashlast week. Now, their community is coming together to support the couple’s children.
Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, and Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, were two of the passengers aboard the Cessna C550 business jet that crashed into a field near French Valley Airport on July 8, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
When deputies arrived, the jet was “fully engulfed in flames in a field,” police said in anews release.
The other victims were identified as Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach; Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes; Alma Razick, 51, of Temecula; Ibrahem Razick, 46, of Temecula.
The owner of the plane said there were two pilots on board, one of whom was serving as a co-pilot, according toNBC News.Lenders was identified as the pilot, according to theAssociated Press, which reported that Federal Aviation Administration records showed he received his commercial pilot certificate in April.
A family friend of Vargas-Regalado and Tellez-Vargas launched aGoFundMeto support the couple’s five children.
Vargas-Regalado, a Marine Corps veteran, was returning after a business trip with his wife when “their plane went down as they were trying to land, before bursting into flames” the message read. “Sadly, all 6 people on board, including Manny and Abigail, passed away.”
“They were amazing parents to 5 beautiful children,” the message continued.
City Commissioner Pete Galvan of San Benito, Texas, who graduated with the couple from the city’s public high school, toldMorning Star Valleythat the duo “were the epitome of high school sweethearts.”
“They were the inspirational couple here in San Benito whose success and inspiration we cherished,” Galvan added. “They stayed together through high school, starting their professional careers and building their success. Over social media, they became that power couple we all looked up to.”
“The financial burdens that come with an unexpected loss can be overwhelming,” read a message on the GoFundMe page, which has raised over $25,000 as of Thursday. “Any money donated will go to Abigail’s sister to help support their children.”
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The incident was the second of two crashes that occurred near the Riverside County airport last week.
On July 4,California dad Jared Newmanwas piloting a private aircraft when itcrashednear the airport. Newman, 39, had just become a certified pilot last month, the NTSB previously told PEOPLE.
source: people.com
