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- A man who flew to space with William Shatner last month died in a plane crash on Thursday.
- Glen de Vries was part of a four-person crew aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origins launch in October.
- His Cessna 172 went down in northern New Jersey, killing him and the other passenger.
A man who flew to space with William Shatner aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origins rocket died in a plane crash, New Jersey state police confirmed on Friday.
Entrepreneur Glen de Vries, 49, was flying in a Cessna 172 when it went down in northern New Jersey on Thursday, killing de Vries and Thomas Fischer, 54, who was also on board, authorities said.
State police said they responded to the crash in Sussex County shortly before 3 p.m. local time on Thursday.
State police said the Federal Aviation Administration will be leading an investigation, although the FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board would be taking the helm.
The NTSB did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Last month, de Vries visited space on a 11-minute flight with "Star Trek" actor William Shatner and two other crewmates, launched by Jess Bezos' company Blue Origins.
Blue Origin said on Twitter that they are "devastated" by the news.
"He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates," the company said.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.