What to Know
- Family members identified a tanker truck driver who was found dead a day after his vehicle crashed, caught fire and caused a portion of I-95 to collapse in Northeast Philadelphia as 53-year-old Nathaniel "Nate" Moody.
- Loved ones described Moody as a hardworking husband and father of three from the Philadelphia area who was an Army veteran who owned his own truck and had been driving trucks for a decade.
- Family members said Moody drove the same route in and around the I-95 ramp all the time. They also told NBC10 he had a spotless driving record and delivered gasoline to Wawa stores across the region.
Family members identified a tanker truck driver who was found dead a day after his vehicle crashed, caught fire and caused a portion of I-95 to collapse in Northeast Philadelphia.
The man, identified by family as 53-year-old Nathaniel "Nate" Moody, was exiting I-95 onto Cottman Avenue on Sunday around 6 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle while navigating a turn at the end of the exit, according to investigators.
The vehicle -- which was carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline -- then turned onto its side before it ruptured and eventually exploded, officials said.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Fire from the explosion caused an elevated section of I-95 to collapse. Responding firefighters were eventually able to get the flames under control.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
Officials closed I-95 in both directions between the Aramingo and Woodhaven exits.
At about 2 p.m. Monday, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police said remains had been pulled out of the rubble. Family members identified the victim as Moody.
His body was turned over to the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner and Coroner's office.
No other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the crash, officials said.
Family members said Nate was a married father of three and an Army veteran who owned his own truck. His cousin, Alex Moody, described him as a hardworking family man who lived in the Philadelphia area and had been driving trucks for a decade.
"My cousin is a hardworking man. Family man. Good husband and father to his wife and daughter," Alex told NBC10. "We've always been cool and tight. He's very mild mannered. Calm guy. Really calm person. He gets along with everybody."
Nate's other cousin, Isaac Moody, told NBC10 the two were just hanging out on Friday and had plans to meet up again for a cookout on Father's Day.
"Nate and I did that handshake then we gave each other the hug and I was like, 'Alright cuz, I'll see you man. I'll talk to you such and such.' He was supposed to call me Saturday, you know? He was supposed to call me Sunday," Isaac said.
When Isaac first found out about the fire and collapse, he held out hope that his cousin -- who was more like a brother to him -- would be found alive.
"Whatever got in Nate's way, he had to bail out the truck," Isaac said. "Maybe they'll find him under some rubble or maybe he might still be alive. That's what I'm thinking. I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible."
Isaac described the moment he found out his cousin had died.
"His older sister called me and she said, 'Ike, the state troopers just left Theresa in Jersey' and they told her they pulled the body from the truck," he said.
Family members said Nate drove the same route in and around the I-95 ramp all the time. They also told NBC10 he had a spotless driving record and delivered gasoline to Wawa stores across the region.
"Nobody ever bothers to look at who could have caused that truck, what could have caused that truck, how could that truck have lost control," Isaac said.
NBC10 reached out to the trucking company Nathaniel Moody worked for but they declined to comment.
