At least two people were killed when a small aircraft crashed into a 52-story building on Manhattan's Upper East Side in overcast weather today in what appeared to be an accident, officials said.
US and New York officials said they had no reason to believe the crash was related to terrorism. A New York police department spokeswoman said the crash killed two people and possibly more.
Military fighter jets were patrolling several US cities as a precaution, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. "NORAD fighters are airborne over numerous cities. They are airborne now as a prudent measure," said NORAD spokeswoman Kyle Combs.
She did not say which cities were being patrolled, or how many, but added the fighters were sent up right after the plane crashed into the building.
On Wall Street, US stocks extended losses on the news but quickly recovered once it became clear the crash was not an attack similar to the hijacked plane attacks of September 11th, 2001.
"We have no reason to believe at this point that it is terrorist related," said New York City police chief Michael Collins.
The aircraft crashed at East 72nd St and York Avenue, near the East River, a 1980s building which is mainly upscale residential apartments but also has a small specialized hospital on the bottom 22 floors.
Luis Gonzales, 23, was working in the building remodeling a nearby apartment and saw the crash.
"I was looking out the window and I saw the plane coming so close to us and it swerved to try and avoid the building but it hit the building," he said. "It was a small plane. We went knocking on doors to try and see if people needed to get out, but we did not get any answers."
"I am still shaking," he said.
Smoke and flames poured from the upper floors of the high-rise building and more than one hundred firefighters were dispatched to the scene, reviving memories of the September 11th attacks.
"It's really bad. Flames are shooting from the building. I was on my terrace and I saw it," said witness Tressa Octave, who lives two blocks away.
The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicated the crash was a small plane.
"It's unknown what type of aircraft it is or how many people were aboard," FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said.