[UPDATES BELOW]
A private plane carrying a New York City woman, her two young children and a pilot, has vanished en route to Florida from Puerto Rico, according to reports. Officials say the plane disappeared from radar near the Bahamas on Monday morning.
U.S. Coast Guard officials say the twin-engine MU-2B was carrying Jennifer Blumin, 40, a local event space designer, and her two sons ages 10 and 4.
Pilot Nathan Ulrich, 42, who the Daily News describes as Blumin's "partner," was also onboard.
Coast Guard officials say the plane left Puerto Rico at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday and was headed to Titusville, Florida.
At around 2:10 p.m., officials at Miami Traffic Control say the plane disappeared from its radar; at the time, it was located about 37 miles east of Eleuthera, Bahamas.
"There's no indication of significant adverse weather at the time." Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Kelly told reporters.
The Coast Guard is currently engaged in an active rescue mission that thus far encompasses 810 squares miles. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force are also involved in the search.
Blumin is the CEO of the Skylight Group, a celebrated event venue development and management firm that's scored write-ups in The Observer and the NY Times.
Update 3:27 p.m.: The Post reports that Blumin's and Ulrich's relatives are "frantic with worry." Ulrich's father told the tabloid they're expecting to hear from the Coast Guard at 5 p.m. this evening. "Right now, we’re still dealing with the uncertainty. We have nothing other than they’re still searching and haven’t found any definitive evidence of any kind one way or the other," he said.
A man who answered the phone at Blumin's parents' house told the Post, "We’re waiting for the Coast Guard to tell us whether our grandchildren and our children are alive."
Ulrich's brother told reporters Ulrich is an "experienced pilot," and ex-wife, actress Rae Dawn Chong, says he's a PhD and mechanical engineer. "I love him,” she said. "He’s a really kind person, and [Blumin] is an adorable woman, and the kids are great."
Ulrich posted an Instagram photo from Puerto Rico two days ago:
Update 5:15 p.m.: The Coast Guard says they found a "debris field" in the Atlantic Ocean, about 15 miles east of where the plane went missing near the Bahamas. They are still searching for survivors.
