The final victim of a devastating private jet crash in Maine has been formally identified as a young pilot who leaves behind a baby daughter, bringing closure to a week-long identification process following the tragedy that claimed six lives.
Pilot's Identity Confirmed After Week-Long Wait
Jorden Reidel, aged 33, has been officially named by the Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner as the co-pilot of the Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet that crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport on January 25th. The announcement came on Tuesday, exactly one week after the fatal incident that shocked the aviation community.
Reidel had been flying professionally since 2011 and relocated to Willis, Texas, near Houston in 2020, where the law firm Arnold & Itkin, which owned the aircraft, maintains its headquarters. His identity remained unknown publicly until the medical examiner's formal confirmation, while the other five victims had already been identified by their families and friends.
A Life Cut Tragically Short
The young pilot's personal story reveals a life filled with recent milestones and future promise. Reidel married his wife Jennifer in April 2022, and the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in August 2024. Jennifer, who works in human resources at power infrastructure company Sabre Industries, had shared numerous family photos online, including one where she referred to her husband as her "forever valentine" in her Facebook profile picture.
The couple's romance began on December 27, 2014, at a small late-night bar called Fat Cats in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to their wedding website, Jennifer typically avoided that particular establishment but made an exception that fateful evening, giving Jorden "a look at what he instantly knew was going to be his future wife." They celebrated their union with a three-day wedding extravaganza at the Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village in Destin, Florida.
Reidel's social media presence painted a picture of an adventurous life, featuring images of himself in the cockpit, relaxing on beaches, enjoying hotel pools, and attending Houston Texans NFL games. This jet-setting lifestyle came to a sudden, tragic end during what should have been a routine takeoff.
The Fatal Flight and Its Passengers
The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet veered sharply to one side and rolled upside-down mere seconds after departure at approximately 7:45 PM on January 25th. Flight data indicates the aircraft flipped at 175 miles per hour during takeoff, leaving a scene of burning wreckage inverted on the snowy runway.
Alongside Reidel, the crash claimed the lives of captain Jacob Hosmer, aged 47, and four passengers: prominent lawyer Tara Arnold (46), chef Nick Mastrascusa (43), wine expert Shelby Kuyawa (34), and event planner Shawna Collins (39). All victims remained entombed for days within the twisted, charred metal wreckage as crash investigators faced significant challenges reaching the frozen runway site due to Winter Storm Fern, which affected 34 states across the United States.
The bodies were finally extracted on Thursday, with formal identifications for Kuyawa, Arnold, Hosmer, and Reidel completed by Tuesday. The medical examiner's work provided official confirmation where family identifications had already occurred for all except Reidel.
The Purpose Behind the Journey
The aircraft was registered to the powerful law firm Arnold & Itkin and was en route to Paris as part of a trip for Tara Arnold and her husband Kurt's luxury travel venture called Beyond. Arnold, a top commercial lawyer at her husband's firm which she joined shortly after its 2004 founding, had planned this journey as part of her new invitation-only travel company catering to extremely wealthy clients.
Beyond promises curated experiences featuring five-star resorts and exotic culinary adventures. Mastrascusa and Kuyawa had recently joined the venture after leaving Hawaii's exclusive Kukio Golf and Beach Club, with Mastrascusa appointed as executive vice president of hospitality responsible for designing the culinary experiences that would distinguish the company.
Collins, a friend of Arnold who planned events for the law firm through her own company, served as Beyond's "luxury event designer and experience curator" and was essential for scouting locations during this trip. Her social media included numerous photographs with Arnold and her husband, and she was simultaneously organizing her daughter's upcoming wedding.
Investigation and Aftermath
The cause of the crash remains under active investigation, with preliminary concerns focusing on whether the jet may have overbalanced due to ice accumulation on its wings. The decision to proceed with the flight under dangerous weather conditions raises questions likely to cause significant concern for the aircraft's owners in coming months.
The plane had departed from Houston earlier on Sunday, landing in Bangor at 6:09 PM for refueling before its scheduled transatlantic journey. It took off at 7:44 PM, just moments before the catastrophic incident.
In a notable development following the crash, Arnold & Itkin quietly removed a webpage promoting the firm's expertise in aviation accident litigation from its website. The firm is otherwise known for representing undocumented migrants in legal matters.
Families Left to Grieve
The human toll of the tragedy extends across multiple families. Mastrascusa's sister Valeria has appealed for donations to cover funeral expenses and support his wife Natalia and their three children, aged 14, 10, and 7. She described her brother as someone who "touched the lives of so many in our community through his kindness, dedication, generosity and friendship."
Friends of pilot Jacob Hosmer remembered him as "a great pilot, a loving husband and a phenomenal father" who was "always kind" and "always laughing." His LinkedIn profile listed Arnold & Itkin LLP as his employer since May 2025.
Tara Arnold and her husband Kurt lived in an $11 million mansion in Houston with their two children, Jaxon and Isla, while Collins was planning her daughter Keaton Milburn's wedding to Brandon Dawkins, a sports marketing staffer at Adidas.
As investigations continue into the precise circumstances of the crash, the identification of Jorden Reidel as the final victim marks a somber milestone in a tragedy that has left six families mourning and raised serious questions about aviation safety in extreme weather conditions.
