Mount Airy man killed in Northeast Philly plane crash was a devoted father whose injured family members are fighting for their lives

Steven Dreuitt, the Mount Airy man killed when flames from a Northeast Philadelphia plane crash engulfed his car, was a devoted father whose fiancee and son, also injured in the crash, are now fighting for their lives, family members told The Inquirer.

Dreuitt, 37, was returning from a trip to the Macy’s store at Roosevelt Mall when a medical flight plummeted from the sky onto Cottman Avenue. His fiancée, Dominique Goods-Burke, and his 9-year-old son, Ramesses, were also in the car.

Both were severely burned and are among the most critically injured of the at least 24 surviving victims of the crash.

Ramesses is battling for his life, still unable to breathe on his own, with burns covering 90% of his body, said Yahaira Morales, his aunt. Her brother, Luis Morales, is Ramesses’ stepfather.

Ramesses’ mother shared on Facebook on Monday a photo of her son wrapped in blankets, with white bandages covering most of his face. He appeared to be using a breathing tube. “I ask for prayers,” she wrote, noting her family’s wishes for privacy and expressing gratitude for the love being shared on social media and beyond.

He is being treated at a Boston hospital that specializes in caring for pediatric burn patients, relatives said.

Family members described Steven Dreuitt as kind, quiet, and humble.

“He was a good father — a great father. A great man. Everybody cared and loved him,” Yahaira Morales said.

Dreuitt and Goods-Burke also have a teenage son, who is devastated by his mother’s injuries and his father’s death, said Annie Proctor, Goods-Burke’s cousin.

“His father is deceased and his mother is in the hospital with burns. How would a teenager respond to something like that?” she said.

Yahaira Morales said her brother, Ramesses’ stepfather, is similarly struggling with the aftermath of the crash.

“My brother is going through a lot right now. He can’t sleep at nighttime. He’s not eating well. He’s in pain,” Morales said. A GoFundMe she organized has raised more than $33,000 to support the boy and his family.

Bystanders who rushed to aid victims on Cottman Avenue after the plane crash described an unimaginable scene on the ground, with cars in flames and debris raining from the sky.

Posquale Dudley, 29, had just walked downstairs in his rowhouse on Rupert Street to check on his girlfriend, who was making dinner in the kitchen, when an explosion rocked the entire house. Dudley was blown across the room.

“I saw everything exploding,” he said. “It was like a horror movie.”

Dudley and several other bystanders worked to rescue the occupants of a car in flames nearby.

Dudley and his girlfriend, who was also home, are now struggling with the trauma they experienced, his father, Hasan Dudley, said Wednesday. At a town hall meeting Wednesday evening where city officials gave updates on the crash and offered support services to victims, his girlfriend’s mother spoke of wiping her daughter’s tears and tucking her in at night as she sobbed, overcome with memories from the crash.

“What they saw, I can’t imagine,” Hasan Dudley said.

Proctor said that Goods-Burke, trapped in a flaming car, begged responders prying at the doors to rescue Ramesses in the back seat.

Goods-Burke, 33, is a bakery manager from Mount Airy. Proctor said her relationship with Goods-Burke is closer to that of an aunt and niece than two cousins.

Proctor, who lives in Nicetown, spoke up at the town hall Wednesday, stressing that mental health support is crucial for the traumatized neighborhood. Hearing stories from others at the meeting affected by the crash, she said, helped her feel less alone.

Right now, she said, her family is just trying to get through the days ahead. “My family is suffering. They’re hurting. I’m traumatized,” she said.

“I’m watching the hurt and pain, and there is only so much I can do but pray.”