Coordinated Response to Mass Disaster: Lessons Learned from the January 31, 2025, Philadelphia Plane Crash

Detective Brooks is a 33-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. Detective Brooks is assigned to the Bomb Disposal Unit as its representative to the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force, a unit made up of ATF Special Agents, Philadelphia Police Detectives, and Philadelphia Fire Marshals. The unit is assigned by command staff to investigate significant incidents involving fires and explosions in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.

Detective Brooks graduated from the Hazardous Device School in 2010 as a Certified Bomb Technician. He holds numerous certifications in fire and explosive investigations to include ATF Certified Explosive Specialists, International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) Certified Fire Investigator, and International Association of Bomb Technician and Investigators (IABTI) Certified Post Blast Investigator. 

Detective Brooks holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Immaculata University in Emergency Management and a Master’s Degree from Oklahoma State University in Forensic Science with an Arson and Explosives emphasis.

Dr. Mike Garvey is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Police Department, Office of Forensic Science. Driven by a commitment to public safety and his previous service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, he has expanded the role of forensic science to improve investigations and intelligence operations. Additionally, Dr. Garvey is the founder and CEO of 1Mission Strategies, a consulting firm dedicated to enhancing public safety. Dr. Garvey serves as the Chairperson of the MCCA Forensic Science Committee, Co-chairperson of the ATF’s National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board, member of the FBI Taskforce on Rapid DNA, Senior Fellow at the Center on Shadow Economics, instructor for the ASCLD Leadership Academy, adjunct faculty at several Philadelphia universities, Chairperson of BSA Troop 208, Chairperson of Science Explorers Post 425, and member of various national public safety committees and working groups.

John Grassel is a Senior Manager of Forensic Sciences within the Investigative Sciences Program at RTI International where he is responsible for implementing and guiding the implementation of a wide variety of forensic plans. He serves as a subject matter expert on the BJA-funded Case Closed Project which assists law enforcement agencies with improving violent crime clearance rates. He previously served as the Co-Principal Investigator of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE), the principal investigator of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)  Standards for Scene Investigation Project and as Co-Project Director for the BJA-funded Law Enforcement Technical and Training Assistance project.

John is the Chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Forensic Science Committee. He is a past President of the International Association of Identification. Prior to joining RTI he led the Rhode Island State Police Forensic Services Unit. He also served for twenty-eight years in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Mary Catherine McBride, Forensic Laboratory Manager of the Biology Unit at the Philadelphia Police Office of Forensic Science, has dedicated over two decades to advancing forensic science in her hometown. A Temple University graduate with a B.S. in Chemistry, she began her career in the Chemistry Unit and progressed through multiple leadership roles before overseeing a team of 30 forensic scientists/technicians specializing in biological evidence, including serology and DNA analysis. The work of her team contributes to high-profile case resolutions, exonerations, and mass disaster identifications, most recently the Fairmount Park Rapist case and Northeast Philadelphia plane crash. Committed to innovation and excellence, she holds a Forensic Manager Level 1 certification, serves on Temple University’s Forensic Chemistry Advisory Board, advises Science Explorers Post 425, member of Philadelphia’s Sexual Assault Response Team, Site Safety Officer of the PPD OFS Clandestine Laboratory Response Team, and is an Associate Member of IACP.  Currently, she is helping shape the design of a new state-of-the-art forensic science facility set to open in 2026.