NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- A New York businessman who went to space with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin alongside William Shatner died in a plane crash in New Jersey Thursday, state police said.
Glen de Vries, 49, of Manhattan, was among the two victims on the small plane that went down in a wooded area in Sussex County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane departed from Essex County Airport in Caldwell and was headed to Sussex Airport when the FAA alerted public safety agencies to look for the missing plane around 3 p.m., according to the agency.
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De Vries went to space on the New Shepard rocket just a month ago with Shatner and two others for 10 minutes, and shared plenty of excitement for the flight with CBS Mornings.
"I just can't wait to stare out that window and feel differently about humanity and our planet than I've ever had the opportunity to before,” he said.
"We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired," Blue Origin tweeted.
De Vries co-founded Medidata Solutions, the most used clinical research platform worldwide, according to CBS.
De Vries showed his loved for flying on his social media accounts, with his profile picture taken from a plane cockpit. He was also a trustee at Carnegie Mellon University.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.