3 dead after plane crashes in Maryland during flight from Ocean City, New Jersey, police say

Three men died after a plane that took off from Ocean City, New Jersey, crashed in Maryland Saturday night, police said. 

A single-engine Piper Cherokee with a pilot and two passengers on board crashed around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in Prince George's County, Maryland State Police said. The flight was headed to Montgomery County Air Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland, according to police.

Public safety officials in the county got an alert about the crash around 11:45 p.m., prompting a search by several local fire and police departments, police said.

Police found the plane on Sunday morning near a residential area off of Scarlett Oak Court in Bowie, Maryland. The victims, who were all pronounced dead at the scene, have not been publicly identified yet.

Investigators believe the aircraft belongs to a local flight school in Montgomery County, Maryland, and say the people might have been on a training flight. 

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are also investigating.