THE CEO of a tech startup has been identified as the victim who tragically died in a horror Texas plane crash.

Joshua Baer, 50, also known as the “Godfather” of the Texas tech community had been returning from Mexico when the plane went up in flames and split in half.

Shocking footage showed the fiery inferno engulfing the jet after it crashed onto a busy highway on Tuesday night.

Passengers – including two adults and three teenagers – were seen leaping from the blazing aircraft.

Baer’s company Capital Factory confirmed he had died in the horrific accident.

He was described as a “visionary force, mentor, and champion for the Texas technology and startup ecosystem”.

Dubbed the “Godfather” of the startup scene in Austin, Baer had chosen the city to be the base for his venture capital firm Capital Factory.

The plane had been carrying six people on board and flying from Los Cabos, Mexico to Austin at the time of the crash.

The NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude business jet went down on the Loop 20 highway at around 10 p.m. local time – leaving debris strewn across multiple lanes.

Authorities confirmed one death while the five remaining passengers were injured.

They have since been hospitalised.

It remains unclear if Baer was on the aircraft or on the ground at the time of his death.

Capital Factory president Bryan Chambers released a heartfelt tribute to the chief executive on Wednesday morning following the crash.

He remembered the tech boss as a “fearless leader” in the business world.

“[He was] a brilliant partner and a dear friend to so many of us,” Chambers said.

“While we are devastated by this unimaginable loss, Josh built an incredibly resilient organization and a deeply capable team.”

Business and political leaders including Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have paid tribute to Baer in the aftermath of his tragic passing.

He was a father-of-three and had started up the Baer Family Foundation with his wife Amy to help disadvantaged children. 

His firm Capital Factory is a “startup accelerator” that seeds and funds businesses across Austin.

Baer was credited with leading the city’s tech industry for years.  

Shocking footage from the horror crash showed people running from their cars to frantically try to smash the cockpit window and free those trapped inside the burning plane – which was nearly sheared in half and tipped on its side.

Two people came running with a sledgehammer and shovel, which they used to hit the cockpit glass and try propping open the plane’s door.

Dashcam footage showed the aircraft careening down the highway, taking out a post before coming to a stop.

It came to a rest not far from the Laredo International Airport.

Witness Zayra Garza said: “It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock.

“What was worrying me was the fire, I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”

Garza’s husband jumped out of their vehicle to help and Garza then saw the door of the plane open.

She said three people who looked to be teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot.

Another member of the crew tried to pull out a person who seemed to be unconscious.

As smoke billowed from the plane, a firefighter used a ladder to climb into the aircraft to rescue the remaining passenger, while others shot water out of a hose at the wreckage.

Rescuers could be heard calling for a rope as others use rods to hold up the plane door.

No injuries on the ground were reported, though five officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

The plane was a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, according to FlightAware, an aviation tracking and data company.

It took off from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m.

It was heading to Austin- Bergstrom when it crashed into the highway.

It’s not clear what caused the crash as it reached Laredo, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told KGNS TV in Laredo that the plane experienced a mechanical failure.

NetJets confirmed the crash involved one of its aircraft and it is working with authorities.

This is the third plane crash in as many days.

Eight crew members died after a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after take off from Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Video that appeared to capture the disaster showed black smoke rising into the sky of the Mojave Desert at around 11:20 a.m. on Monday.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but the B-52 bomber crashed during a “routine test mission”, authorities said.

And on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.

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