2 NYC investment bankers killed in plane crash in NJ

Two New York City investment bankers were among those killed when their plane crashed on a major highway in suburban New Jersey on Tuesday.

The plane reportedly belonged to Jeffrey Buckalew, a managing director with Greenhill, who was piloting the plane with his wife, Corinne, and two children also onboard, along with Rakesh Chawla, another Greenhill managing director.

The Socata TBM-700 crashed on I-287 in Harding, New Jersey, according to ABC News. It had just taken off from new Jersey’s Teterboro Airport headed for Atlanta, Georgia.

Both sides of the heavily used highway, which wraps around the northern and western edges of the New York City area, were closed down after the crash.

Wreckage was reportedly scattered over a half-mile-wide area and a wing was found lodged in a tree of a home about a quarter-mile away.

CNN cited Greenhill chairman Robert Greenhill and CEO Scott Bok as saying in a statement: "The firm is in deep mourning over the tragic and untimely death of two of its esteemed colleagues and members of Jeff's family. Jeff was one of the first employees of Greenhill. He and Rakesh were extraordinary professionals who were highly respected by colleagues and clients alike. They will be sorely missed and our sympathies go out to their families and friends."

According to Bloomberg:

Buckalew, 45, led Greenhill’s North American advisory activities. He came to Greenhill in 1996 after working at Salomon Brothers, according to the firm. Chawla, 36, was a managing director for the financial services sector. He joined the firm in 2003 from Blackstone Group LP.