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The 2020 Citation CJ3 Plus was found at the end of Runway 22 in a drainage brook around 2:40 p.m., Fairfield police said.
As police and EMS were arriving, the pilot and two passengers were climbing out, police said. They were identified as a 45-year-old man from Danbury, CT, a 57-year-old man from Poughkeepsie, NY and a 66-year-old man from Bernardsville, the plane's owner.
The plane was trying to land on Runway 22 when cross winds caused it to miss where it needed to be on the runway, police said. The plane did briefly travel on the runway, but then went onto a grassy area, before ending up in the drainage brook.
The plane was emitting jet fuel into the brook. The Nutley Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit was called in to assist the Fairfield Fire Department in helping to contain the spill.
Also responding to assist were the West Caldwell Police and Fire Departments, the Essex County Sheriff's Department, and the West Essex First Aid Squad.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Bureau were both notified of the incident.
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