Yadier Molina, former St. Louis Cardinals player, winner of two World Series titles (2004 and 2022), and considered one of the greatest defensive catchers in history, saw the private jet he had chartered to travel with his family crash this Sunday at the La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic.
“The pilot and co-pilot of a private jet chartered by baseball legend Yadier Molina died on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in a dramatic plane crash in the eastern Dominican Republic,” authorities reported. Both victims are U.S. citizens.
In a video circulating on social media, the aircraft can be seen attempting to land, striking the ground, skidding along the runway, and eventually bursting into flames, leading to the fatal outcome.
“No passengers were reported on board. The aircraft declared an emergency when it was approximately 30 km (16 nautical miles) southwest of La Romana and crashed while attempting to land there,” the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
“My condolences to the pilots and their families,” Molina wrote in a message on his Instagram account. Molina and his family had planned to fly from Texas to Puerto Rico, but the accident prevented that trip.