'Amazing Parents' Killed in California Plane Crash, Leaving Behind 5 'Beautiful Children'
Manuel Vargas-Regalado and Abigail Tellez-Vargas "will be missed by so many, especially their children," loved ones wrote
GoFundMe
Manny and Abigail VargasA beloved mother and father were among the six people killed in a Southern California plane crash last week. Now, their community is coming together to support the couple's children.
Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, and Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, were two of the passengers aboard the Cessna C550 business jet that crashed into a field near French Valley Airport on July 8, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
“Preliminary information indicates the airplane crashed short of French Valley Airport during its second approach around 4:15 a.m.,” the National Safety Transportation Safety Board said during a press conference over the weekend, noting that the crash took place about 500 feet short of the runway, according to ABC affiliate KABC-TV.
When deputies arrived, the jet was "fully engulfed in flames in a field," police said in a news release.
The other victims were identified as Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach; Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes; Alma Razick, 51, of Temecula; Ibrahem Razick, 46, of Temecula.
The owner of the plane said there were two pilots on board, one of whom was serving as a co-pilot, according to NBC News. Lenders was identified as the pilot, according to the Associated Press, which reported that Federal Aviation Administration records showed he received his commercial pilot certificate in April.
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A family friend of Vargas-Regalado and Tellez-Vargas launched a GoFundMe to support the couple's five children.
"The sudden and unexpected passing of Manny and Abigail have impacted so many people and will be missed by so many, especially their children," read a message on the fundraiser. "These children did not just lose one parent they have lost both which just breaks my heart."
Vargas-Regalado, a Marine Corps veteran, was returning after a business trip with his wife when "their plane went down as they were trying to land, before bursting into flames" the message read. "Sadly, all 6 people on board, including Manny and Abigail, passed away."
"They were amazing parents to 5 beautiful children," the message continued.
City Commissioner Pete Galvan of San Benito, Texas, who graduated with the couple from the city's public high school, told Morning Star Valley that the duo "were the epitome of high school sweethearts."
"They were the inspirational couple here in San Benito whose success and inspiration we cherished," Galvan added. "They stayed together through high school, starting their professional careers and building their success. Over social media, they became that power couple we all looked up to."
Loved ones say that the couple's children will be taken in by Tellez-Vargas' sister, who will "raise and love them as her own."
"The financial burdens that come with an unexpected loss can be overwhelming," read a message on the GoFundMe page, which has raised over $25,000 as of Thursday. "Any money donated will go to Abigail’s sister to help support their children."
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The incident was the second of two crashes that occurred near the Riverside County airport last week.
On July 4, California dad Jared Newman was piloting a private aircraft when it crashed near the airport. Newman, 39, had just become a certified pilot last month, the NTSB previously told PEOPLE.
Both crashes remain under investigation, according to ABC affiliate KABC-TV.
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