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An Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse near March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. The pilot ejected and was expected to be OK.
The jet crashed off base on Opportunity Way in Riverside County, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, at about 3:45 p.m., base officials told NBC News. The pilot parachuted onto the base, they said. The Air Force told NBC News that the pilot ejected safely and that no injuries were immediately reported on the ground.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said multiple agencies were responding to the scene of an air emergency in an industrial area of warehouses and large businesses near Interstate 215. It had no further immediate details but said the freeway had been closed in both directions.
A witness, Cameron Lee, told NBC Los Angeles that he was on the freeway when he saw the jet, which began "tilting from side to side."
"As soon as I saw it begin tilting, the pilot ejected," Lee said. "He went off to the right [and] the plane went over to the left."
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Lee, who said at least 10 fire trucks were at the scene almost immediately.
Aerial video of the scene showed a broad hole in the roof of a large warehouse-like building the logo of See Water Inc., which manufactures pumps, controls and other equipment for the water and wastewater industries. Authorities were examining a white and orange parachute along the roadside.
NBC Los Angeles reported that a hazardous materials team was on site to assess the potential threat from any ordnance that may have been on the jet.
This is a developing news story. Refresh this page for updates.
