Miami Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia witnessed a scary sight upon his return from a workout Monday: a partially submerged, homemade aircraft in a pond close to his home.
A plane had crashed near Saltalamacchia’s home, and the the pilot did not survive, according to the Sun Sentinel. Leonard “Link” McGarity, a former Marine pilot who flew commercially for American Airlines, was performing “touch and gos” when he crashed.
The Aero Club — the neighborhood where Saltalamacchia lives — has a private runway as part of the exclusive aviation community.
“He was still laying there, and they were covering him up best they could,” Saltalamacchia told the Sun Sentinel’s Juan C. Rodriguez. “Firefighters were there. It was crazy.”
Saltalamacchia’s wife, Ashley, was home when the crash occurred but didn’t hear it. Their residence is at the opposite end of the runway from where the wreck could be seen.
