Who was William Jennings? LI family seeks answers after only child dies in plane crash while monitoring bushfires
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: William Joseph Jennings, a Long Island man, was killed in a plane crash while assisting in tackling raging bushfires in the Australian outback.
The recent Northeastern University graduate was among three killed when their plane plummeted 190,000 feet on Friday, November 3, in northwest Queensland, according to Australian officials.
"We are so heartbroken and need answers," the victim's mother, Denise Jennings, said of her only child.
William Jennings just took up his new job after graduation
Jennings, known as 'Will' to his friends and family, had only recently arrived in Australia after he took up a new job involving mapping the fire's destructive path.
The 22-year-old who was an adventurer communicated with his father via text message telling him that he was embarking on a journey from Toowoomba to a new base in Mount Isa.
However, all contacts ceased after that message and his family's concern grew.
Utilizing the Find My iPhone app, they found that Jennings had not appeared to reach his intended destination, according to the New York Post.
"I sent a text, got no response — which never happens. Call it father’s intuition, but I knew something was very wrong," said the victim's father Joe Jennings.
The tragic news of their son's death was delivered by a Suffolk County police sergeant and two officers who knocked on the Jennings' door and said, "There’s been an aviation accident."
"I started screaming, saying, 'This can’t be real. It has to be a mistake,'" Denise said of the devastating news of her beloved son's death.
William Jennings was described as an all-rounder
Remembering her only child, Denise said, "He was our pride and joy. He was always smiling, was such a happy young man, so smart, but so kind and humble," and the victim's father Joe said their son "was our life."
"He was a AAA kid — athletics, academics, and arts," Joe said of his son who was a "natural musician". He excelled in track at Hills West and graduated with honors in 2019.
Following his college graduation after earning a degree in mechanical engineering, Jennings took an internship related to thermal imaging cameras in Hood River, Oregon.
After the completion of the internship, he worked on railroad surveillance in Arizona.
At the time, he received a call from the fire fighting company AGAIR in Australia based on his familiarity with their aerial surveillance technology.
"Will was just an adventurer and so he jumped at it,” said his father.
"It happened so quickly, but he wanted to go," said the victim's mother. According to the Australian government, the crash that killed three after the twin-engine Turbo Commander plummeted is currently under investigation by the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau.