Many witnesses, few clues after jet buzzes Ramapo

Ramapo got buzzed.

A twin-engine jet caused a stir Wednesday morning by cruising as low as 200 feet above the ground along the New York State Thruway, from Airmont Road to the Garden State Parkway extension, Ramapo police said.

The pilot even buzzed the Ramapo police station and Town Hall on Route 59.

Capt. Brad Weidel was driving along Remsen Avenue.

“A minute later this plane went over me — a large twin-engine jet with landing gear down,” Weidel said. “It was frightening. It went right over me, about 200 feet and I am being conservative since it could have been lower.”

The sighting occurred around 8:30 a.m., seen by several police officers and leading numerous residents to call police headquarters, Weidel said.

Officers estimated the plane flew between 200 and 500 feet above the ground, Weidel said.

At first glance, Ramapo police officers feared the plane was going to crash or try landing on the Thruway, Weidel said.

The Federal Aviation Administration told police it was not aware of any jets with problems flying over Ramapo, Weidel said. The Federal Aviation Administration also couldn’t identify the jet, he said.

Ramapo “formally requested that the Federal Aviation Administration investigate this matter,” Weidel said, adding that the police also refereed the incident to the Rockland Intelligence Unit and the New York State Office of Homeland Security.

Weidel said the police are asking the public to provide any information on the low-flying plane, especially any video of the craft to help identify it.

This isn’t the first time in recent memory that western Ramapo residents have been startled by low-flying craft.

Four summers ago, Suffern resident John Diamond told The Journal News his house started to shake just after midnight when a low-flying plane passed over his home, which is a block away from Good Samaritan Hospital.

Ramapo officials said the Federal Aviation Administration told them that it was a passenger jet flying at 3,000 feet, but an Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman at the time could not confirm the event and said aircraft at that altitude would not result in rattling someone’s house.

Anyone with information about Wednesday’s incident is asked to call police at 845-357-2400.

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