The man whose apartment was destroyed in a plane crash is alive because he picked up some Hot Pockets before returning home that day.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, 38-year-old Jason Bartley left his Akron, Ohio apartment at 2:14 pm on Tuesday to go to the bank and then the supermarket.
The factory worker was driving home at approximately 2:45 pm when he decided to make one extra stop.
Bartley went to Dollar General, where he bought a pizza Hot Pocket to eat that night and a breakfast Hot Pocket for the morning after.
He then made his way home to find smoke and fire erupting from his block.
Bartley parked his car, ran toward his apartment and realized the home he was renting since July was engulfed in flames.
Of his first thought at the sight of his burning apartment, he told the Akron Beacon Journal,
Oh my God. What did I do?
A bystander soon informed Bartley a small private plane crashed into the apartment.
The disaster occurred at 2:53 pm, so Bartley would very likely not be alive if he hadn't stopped at Dollar General.
Bartley said his brush with death left him in "a lot of shock" yet also feeling "very grateful."
He added,
Sometimes you get nauseous thinking about it. It's still even hard to comprehend.
All seven passengers and two crew members on board were killed.
The passengers were identified as seven associates of a Florida real estate firm who were viewing properties that could potentially become shopping centers, CBS News reports.
They flew in the same plane from Florida to several Midwestern cities the previous day.
The cause of the crash is a mystery because the plane reportedly did not experience any troubles on Monday, and neither pilot is said to have reported any such difficulties during Tuesday's fatal trip from Dayton, Ohio to Akron Fulton International Airport.
Currently staying with a friend, Bartley had no insurance and lost many precious items in the crash.
A friend set up a GoFundMe page to help replace Bartley's clothing, furniture and other necessary belongings.
Citations: Saved by Hot Pockets: Akron apartment dweller misses plane crash by minutes (Akron Beacon Journal), Ohio man: Hot Pockets errand saved me from plane crash (CBS News)
