Ramesses Vazquez-Viana was just 9 years old when a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia and burned most of the young boy’s body.
Six people traveling on the plane and two people on the ground were killed, and two dozen people were injured in the aftermath of the tragic accident, which decimated homes and cars near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue.
As one of the youngest survivors of the crash, Ramesses’ story of strength and positivity has touched people around the country. The now-10-year-old still has a long road ahead of him, but one year later, his recovery has been nothing short of a miracle.
Here’s a look back at Ramesses’ journey.
“I ask for prayers”
A few days after the deadly crash, Virgen Viera identified her grandson Ramesses as the person seen running through the street while on fire in videos and photos posted on social media.
“In an instant when I see him, I say, ‘That’s him,'” Viera told CBS News Philadelphia.
Virgen Viera
Ramesses’ dad’s car caught on fire after the plane crashed near the Roosevelt Mall on Jan. 31, 2025. His father, identified as Steven Dreuitt, was killed. Dreuitt’s girlfriend, Dominique Goods-Burke, was also in the car at the time of the crash and died from her injuries several months later.
Despite more than 90% of his body being burned, Ramesses managed to climb out of the car’s open window. Witnesses helped get the 9-year-old to safety, and the next day, he was airlifted to a burn center in Boston, Massachusetts.
“I ask for prayers. He is strong and my faith in God is big,” his mom posted on social media.
Recovery continues in Boston
For the next four months, Ramesses continued to fight for his life at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston. By May, Jamie Vazquez Viana said her son already undergone multiple surgeries, including partial amputations on both of his hands.
Because of the extent of his burns, Jamie said her son will likely need skin grafts for years as he grows.
“He can hear me. He can see me,” she said. “He can tell you if he’s in pain.”
Photos showed Ramesses propped up in his hospital bed, connected to tubes and wires, wrapped in bandages from head to toe.
“Not everybody in the family is comfortable with seeing him like that,” Jamie said. “It’s shocking.”
Doctors called Ramesses survival a miracle; only his feet were spared from the burns.
CBS Philadelphia 
“I’m going to stay here until it’s time to go,” said Jamie, who had several other children still at home in Philadelphia. “Philadelphia and everyone else has come together for him. Continuing praying. He still needs it.”
Back at home, Ramesses’ classmates and teachers said it was “tough” not having their friend and student in class. Ramesses was in third grade at Mastery Charter Smedley Elementary School in Frankford when he was burned.
Assistant Principal Danielle Nicoletti said his class kept Ramesses’ desk ready for the day he could come back, and hosted fundraisers to support his family.
The class sent Ramesses handmade origami cards, his favorite Philly snacks, and sold bracelets to raise money. The school also asked people to record read-alongs of Ramesses’ favorite books, and had students and staff wear yellow in his honor.
Firefighters in Philadelphia also collected donations for Ramesses and his family and wrote handwritten notes to be delivered in Boston.”
“I feel happy that I’m able to still do the things I do”
In October, Ramesses turned 10 years old. Though he was still in the hospital in Boston, Ramesses had lots to celebrate on his road to recovery.
He started wiggling his fingers and toes, his hearing and sight improved, and after six months, he was able to tell his mom, “I love you.”
“I cried,” Jamie said. “Half of Philly was crying with me that day.”
After 42 surgeries and months of intense treatment, Ramesses was moved to the Weisman Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Marlton, New Jersey, where he practiced climbing stairs, getting out of bed and walking in physical therapy.
CBS Philadelphia 
In November, Ramesses progressed so much that he was able to sit down for his first television interview with CBS News Philadelphia’s Wakisha Bailey.
“I feel happy that I’m able to still do the things I do,” he said.
His mom, Jamie, said Ramesses remembered everything that happened the night of the plane crash, and that he tried to save his dad from their burning car. “He said he remembers two big booms — like two crashes at once,” she said. “He tried to get his dad out of the car, but he couldn’t. His dad told him to get out … said, ‘I love you.’ And he said, ‘I love you back.'”
CBS Philadelphia 
Even in the face of immense heartbreak, Ramesses had this message for anyone going through hard times: “I want them to know God is there,” he said. “You may not hear him, but he’s listening, and he’s helping.”
Home for Christmas
Eleven months after the Northeast Philadelphia plane crash, Ramesses was finally headed home. In December, Smedley Elementary celebrated Ramesses with a pep rally, where CBS News correspondent David Begnaud helped surprise Jamie with a new car courtesy of David Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Glen Mills.
The school was also given a $50,000 check from Canva.
“I’ve been here for 16 years, and we’ve never had more of a need with our students and less of a budget,” Principal Caitlin Murphy said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
While Ramesses couldn’t attend the celebration in person, several of his friends visited him before the event, where they laughed and joked as little boys do.
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“I was praying so hard we’d be home for Christmas,” Jamie Vazquez-Viana said. “I just wanted my three boys with me.”
One year later
After being released from Weisman Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in December, Ramesses started school with virtual classes a few days a week.
One year after the crash, Ramesses is back in Boston for another surgery that’ll keep him in the hospital for about five weeks.
Once home, his family tells CBS News Philadelphia that Ramesses will go back to Smedley after he recovers and heads home to Philly.
