AUSTIN (ABJ/KXAN) — Joshua Baer, who helped put Austin’s tech and startup scene on the map with his business accelerator Capital Factory, has died in a plane crash, according to multiple sources. He was 50 years old.
A small jet carrying six people crashed onto a major Laredo highway and erupted in flames Tuesday night, killing only Baer. The crash sparked a frantic rescue effort as passing motorists rushed to the burning wreckage to save survivors, according to several media reports.
The aircraft was departing from San José del Cabo, Mexico, to Austin, Texas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane was operated by private aviation company NetJets.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the plane’s crew contacted the local airport seeking to make an emergency landing.
The pilot radioing air traffic controllers “mentioned low fuel and a power outage, said Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez, in the AP report.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Local leaders remember Baer
A spokesperson for Congressman John Carter, R-Round Rock, said Carter considered Baer a “dear friend” to the office. Carter last saw Baer at an Army birthday celebration.
“My team and I are deeply saddened to learn of Josh’s tragic passing. He was a brilliant disruptor genuinely dedicated to the success of other innovators. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy of helping entrepreneurs transform their vision into a reality and his passing is a tremendous loss for Texas’ defense startup network. My heart goes out to his family and the Capital Factory team,” Carter said in a statement.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, called Baer a friend and a “great entrepreneur” in a statement.
“Saddened by the untimely passing of my friend, Josh Baer. A great entrepreneur, he was a driving force through Capital Factory in Austin’s tech story, helping make us the dynamic, international city we are today. Concern for wife Amy, their children, and condolences to the extended Capital Factory family,” Doggett said in a statement on social media.
Read the full story at the Austin Business Journal.