Devastated Daughter of Marine Veteran Pilot, 78, Killed in Mötley Crüe Jet Crash Tells How He 'Saved Vince Neil's Girlfriend from Death in His Final Moments'
Joie Vitosky was piloting Vince Neil's private jet when it crashed.
Feb. 13 2025, Published 1:31 p.m. ET
The pilot of Mötley Crüe's private jet who was killed in a crash on Monday saved lead singer Vince Neil's girlfriend, according to his daughter.
Joie Vitosky, a Marine vet, lost his life after the jet he was handling crashed into a stationary plane on the runway at Scottsdale Airport, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Joie Vitosky died when the jet he was piloting crashed into another plane.
Following his death, Vitosky's daughter Jana Schertzer spoke about how she believes lives were saved that day all thanks to her father.
She told The Arizona Republic one day after Vitosky's passing: "I honestly, wholeheartedly believe that the reason those other passengers are alive – it's because of how he handled it yesterday."
"It's a lot of stuff that can happen on a private plane. A lot of rich people, but he had a lot of people who needed something immediate," she added.
According to Schertzer, her dad had been flying for 60 years, starting when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, piloting helicopters before moving on to jets.
Following his time on the Marines, Schertzer focused on piloting, including flying notable names such as Jesse Jackson and former president Ronald Reagan's daughter Maureen.
Despite being 78 years old, Schertzer claims her dad was more than capable of flying.
“Like, nothing wrong. His vision was perfect – better than 20/20 vision," she told the outlet, and added he was all about flying into his final moments.
She said: "Instead of, you know, retiring and doing nothing, he did it literally until the day he died."
On Monday, a private jet owned by rocker Neil was captured on camera crashing into another plane on the runway due to a landing gear malfunction. The incident left Vitosky dead and Neil's partner, Rain Andreani, with five broken ribs, reportedly.
Two other passengers – who have yet to be publicly identified – on Neil's plane were reportedly taken for medical treatment.
Neil, of Mötley Crüe' fame, owned the private jet involved in the crash.
Meanwhile, Jet Pros, the company that owns the plane that was crashed into, confirmed they had one crew member aboard at the time of the collision, and that he was “treated and released."
“We are saddened to hear about the lives lost and injured …. Our condolences go out to the family members of those affected by this terrible accident," they said in a statement.
A since-deleted statement by Motley Crüe on social media had noted Vitosky's death, but they did not reveal his identity at the time.
The post read: "... While details are still emerging, our hearts go out to the families of the pilot who lost his life in the passengers who suffered injuries.
"Mötley Crüe will announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot – stand by for an announcement very soon."
Neil, 64, was confirmed to not have been aboard the plane, however, he reacted to the crash through his representative Worrick Robinson Law on the band's X.
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It read: "... For reasons unknown at this time, the plane veered from the runway causing it to collide with another parked plane. On board Mr. Neil’s plane were two pilots and two passengers.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation.
