EXCLUSIVE Young student loses her doctor parents and both her siblings in horror private plane crash that killed six

A high school senior lost her entire immediate family in a horror private jet crash that killed six in upstate New York.

Anika Groff is the only surviving child of neuroscientist Michael Groff and urogynecologist Joy Saini, who were killed in the crash along their two eldest children - Karenna and Jared Groff. 

Karennas boyfriend, James Santoro, was also killed, as was Jareds partner, Alexia Couyutas Duartem. 

Anika, the Groffs youngest child, had just announced she would attend the University of North Carolina in the fall.

The Weston, Massachusetts, school district where the Groff children went to school issued a statement following Saturdays tragedy. 

Two of our graduates, Karenna Groff (2018) and Jared Groff (2017), their parents, and several friends were killed in a small plane crash in New York yesterday," Weston Public Schools said. Their lives ended far too soon, and our hearts are with all those who are grieving this unimaginable and sudden loss.

The school district said one of the familys members remains enrolled in high school, adding: Out of respect for the family and especially for our student who is grieving the loss of her loved ones, we ask that all members of our community honor their privacy during this deeply personal time.

Our role as a school community is to surround them with quiet care, compassion, and space to heal.

Anika Groff, a high school senior, is the only surviving member of the immediate Groff family after her parents and siblings were killed in a plane crash in upstate New York. She is seen with her late sister Karenna

The plane crash victims were identified as Karenna Groff (middle left), a former MIT soccer player, her boyfriend and MIT graduate James Santoro (right), Karennas father and neuroscientist Dr. Michael Groff (left), as well as her mother and urogynecologist Dr. Joy Saini (middle right)

Anika, seen left with a friend, recently announced she will attend the University of North Carolina in the fall 

The prominent Massachusetts family was traveling to the Catskills for a birthday and Passover celebration. They took off on Michael Groffs plane from an airport in White Plains, New York.

Officials have not said who was piloting the plane. 

Shortly before the crash, the pilot radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say he had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said at a Sunday briefing.

While preparing the new coordinates, air traffic controllers attempted to relay a low altitude alert three times, with no response from the pilot and no distress call, officials said. 

Investigators obtained video of the final seconds of the flight, which appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground, NTSB official Todd Inman told reporters. 

Still couldn’t believe it was true. I still don’t believe it’s true, James Santoros grieving father John Santoro told Boston 25 News. 

James was a math major from New Jersey and played lacrosse for MIT, where Kareena played soccer.

After graduating, the pair moved into Manhattan where Karenna enrolled in New York Universitys medical school and James worked as an investment associate for Silver Point.

They were a wonderful family, John Santoro told AP. The world lost a lot of very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity. We’re all personally devastated.

Karennas brother Jared Groff was also killed, as was Jareds partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Karenna co-founded openPPE, which helped create a new design for essential workers in need of masks. Then, in 2023, she received the NCAA woman of the year award for 2022 in recognition of her accomplishments

The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives, he added, and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Karenna Groff co-founded openPPE, helping to create a new design of masks for essential workers. In 2023, she received the prestigious NCAA woman of the year award for the previous year for her on- and off-field accomplishments. 

Karennas mother, India-born Saini, was an accomplished pelvic surgeon and the founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness, according to a family statement. She trained in medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where she met Michael Groff, who became a distinguished neurosurgeon and experienced pilot, the statement said.