Pilot Killed in North Jersey Plane Crash was from Lakewood

A Lakewood resident is identified as the pilot killed during a fiery, small plane crash in woods behind a daycare center in West Caldwell Saturday morning, according to fire officials.

50-year-old John Hannon grew up in Oregon, but lived in Lakewood, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Relatives, friends and co-workers told NJ Advance Media Hannon ran a flight-training school out of the Monmouth and Lakewood airports, and liked to share his love of flying on his social media pages.

Hannon reported having engine trouble shortly before taking off from Essex County Airport around 10 a.m. and crashed about a half-mile away, but officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have not yet determined what caused the Cessna 206 to go down, according to NJ Advance Media.

The FAA is investigating.