Daniel Bethencourt

Detroit Free Press

Two people were taken to the hospital, one in serious condition, after a small plane made a bizarre and tragic emergency landing on Detroit’s east side, which ended with a pedestrian being electrocuted, Detroit Police said.

Early details suggest the small banner plane had to make the landing at Shoemaker and Cooper, which is in the area of I-94 and Gratiot, around 9 p.m. Monday because the pilot was running out of fuel, said Nicole Kirkwood, a Detroit Police spokeswoman.

The plane ultimately landed in the middle of a street, injuring the pilot. But on the way down the plane struck a live power line which then fell and struck a passerby, who was taken to the hospital in “serious condition,” Kirkwood said.

The pilot was also taken to a hospital. Police did not release further details about the crash on Monday night, and it's not clear if the plane had been flying over the Detroit River in advance of Monday's Ford Fireworks show.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig told WDIV that the pilot was 18 years old. The station also reported that the plane had been pulling a banner, but the banner was cut loose before landing.

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: dbethencourt@freepress.com. Follow on Twitter @_dbethencourt.