Brick Physician and Family Killed in Upstate N.Y. Plane Crash

Gabriel Jasper and his daughter, Gabriella M. Hillgrube. (Facebook Photos)

A beloved Brick Township physician lost his life in a small plane crash along with family members earlier this week, authorities in upstate New York confirmed.

Gabriele P. Jasper, owner of Jasper Spine Institute on Brick Boulevard, was piloting a 1976 Piper Aerostar on Monday. The aircraft, according to authorities climbed to about 100-feet after takeoff from Adirondack Regional Airport in Harrietstown, N.Y., before losing communication with the tower. That prompted authorities to begin searching for the Piper – a twin-engine, propeller-driven airplane – which was found wrecked in a wooded area a short distance from the airfield.

Jasper, 70, was killed along with his daughter, Gabriella M. Hillgrube, 33, of Forked River, and Guiliana M. Hillgrube, 2, of Forked River, his granddaughter. Jasper was a Toms River resident.

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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Generally, NTSB preliminary reports are released within 30 days of a crash, with a final report being released within a year, according to agency policy.

Jasper, whose practice had existed in Brick for years, was also a well-known and much-beloved member of the Brick Township business community. He was especially known for his love of outdoorsmanship – specifically fishing, travel and flying.