5 lives were cut short when a jet struck their van. Now friends mourn a generous crew who took pride in their dangerous work

(CNN) — An exhausted Julio Pineda would arrive some nights at the Miami-Dade County apartment complex where he lived with his reflective vest and gray work shirt and slacks covered in grease and grime, a neighbor recalled.

Still, the 75-year-old member of an airplane cleaning crew, who was known as “El Mago,” the Magician, often took a moment to perform magic tricks and hand out candy to children before going home to rest, neighbor and friend José Sigas told CNN.

Pineda was one of five men killed last Sunday when a more than 100-ton plane operated for Amazon by contractor 21 Air hurtled past the end of a runway at Miami International Airport and slammed into a van full of cleaning workers, an airport fence, concrete vehicle barriers and an SUV before finally stopping and catching fire.

The van was left a tangled heap of metal. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Five others were injured, including the plane’s two pilots, two members of the cleaning crew and a man in an SUV, officials said.

The other victims who died were identified as Rolando Alemán León, 55; Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, 53; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53 and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. They all came from Cuba in search of better lives, attorneys for their families said.

The men, who performed the grueling, fast-paced and often perilous work of an airplane cleaning crew, were wrapping up an 8-hour shift on Labor Day weekend. Their toil – crucial to keeping air traffic moving – is little noticed and includes wiping down seats, collecting and removing hazardous waste and always keeping an eye out for moving planes and ground vehicles. They also wash airplane exteriors using lifts.

“They worked under the sun, in the extreme heat, all day,” said Sigas, who had known Pineda for 15 years. “He never complained. He was always smiling and making jokes.”

The death of Pineda and his four coworkers – who considered themselves family – has led to widespread grief and mourning in South Florida, where friends and neighbors remember them as hardworking and generous providers.

“Most people don’t appreciate how hard and dangerous those cleaning jobs are,” Sigas said.

The tragedy has also shone a light on the unseen and demanding labor performed everyday by airport support and contract crews.

“It’s a god-awful job,” Soma Priddle, an aviation attorney and former commercial airline captain, said of the cleaning crews. “It’s been that way forever.”

They took pride in grueling work

The five victims knew the work was exhausting and dangerous but took pride in doing it, friends and neighbors said.

They worked for a contractor, Professional Ocean Service Corp., which said it was “heartbroken by this unimaginable tragedy,” and that its employees were like family.

“Our hearts and prayers are with every employee and every family whose lives have been forever changed,” the company said in statement. “We grieve with those who lost a loved one and pray for the healing and recovery of those who were injured.”

During an otherwise slow week for him, Pineda picked up extra hours the day he died, according to Sigas and another neighbor.

Mark Lopez-Trigo, an attorney with a firm that has been hired by Pineda’s two sons, said he was a part-time employee who returned to work after retiring from another job.

Coworkers at Professional Ocean Service Corp. were devastated by the loss of the five men, according to Lopez-Trigo. Pineda was beloved by many of his coworkers.

“Even though he wasn’t there full-time, he was always like a light whenever he would come in – enjoyable to work with, always brought good energy and was always willing to go the extra mile for work,” Lopez-Trigo told CNN.

Pineda, who was born in Cuba, had agreed to visit Sigas after work Sunday to help move some furniture. That afternoon, Sigas said, he called his friend several times to see if they would get together. He got no answer.

“I called him until late at night,” Sigas said. “And I told my wife, ‘I don’t like this.’”

The next day, Sigas turned on the television news and learned his friend was gone. As the news spread, other neighbors recalled Pineda sharing food and snacks with them. One friend said she’ll miss the echo of his thunderous laugh in the building’s corridors.

On the door of Pineda’s apartment, friends this week left a note, handwritten in Spanish, with a heart over his nickname: “Mago, we will miss you. Your neighbors, R.I.P.”

“I used to say he would be around forever,” said Ana Calatayu, who works at a supermarket below where Pineda lived.

Emilio Herrera, another neighbor, recalled seeing Pineda on his way to work Sunday morning.

“I didn’t realize how much I cared for him,” said Herrera, who came close to tears as he spoke of his friend. “He was the kind of person who healed others. I never saw him upset. I never saw him angry. He was always so helpful.”

Pineda’s family will hold a wake for him in Miami on Sunday. “Your life was an example of love, humility and generosity,” the invitation reads. “You were a great father, a marvelous grandfather and a good person.”

The men had ties to Cuba

Alemán León, another cleaning crew member who died, was fondly remembered by Blanca Llauro Esquivel, who rented out a small room in northern Miami-Dade County to him until about two months ago. He told her he was buying a home with his girlfriend.

Alemán León, nicknamed “Roli,” has a son in the Miami area, she said. Other relatives live in Cuba. He had previously worked as a hotel janitor, she said. Sometimes, after work, he would stop by with food for her.

“He was a good person. That’s how I will always remember him,” said Llauro Esquivel, adding she has been depressed since learning of Alemán León’s death.

Reyes Quevedo is survived by a daughter who lives in Cuba, according to Jorge Gutierrez Jr., an attorney retained by Quevedo’s brother and Acosta Farjardo’s partner.

The victims leave behind “a legacy of love and support and caring that cannot be replaced,” Gutierrez said.

Rodríguez Naranjo’s widow, Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the plane’s pilots, Amazon, Inc. and 21 Air LLC, said her attorneys from Morgan & Morgan. CNN has reached out to 21 Air for comment about the lawsuit.

An Amazon spokesperson said the company is committed to supporting families and the broader community impacted by the crash.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy,” Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement to CNN. “The NTSB is on the ground at Miami International Airport conducting their investigation.”

“We’ll fully cooperate with them and support any other investigating authorities and we’ll also continue to coordinate with 21 Air, which operated the flight,” the statement continued. “Amazon leaders are also meeting with local officials, first responders, and others in the community to offer our support.”

Rodríguez Naranjo arrived from Cuba in 2011. He was driving the Ford van on an airport road after the crew’s last job, according to attorneys.

He “died instantly at the scene as a result of the impact,” attorney Jorge Garcia told reporters. Santiso Morejon learned about her husband’s death after wondering why he didn’t return home from work, seeing news about the crash and speaking to investigators. She texted him, but the messages went unread.

Another cleaning crew member, Acosta Fajardo, is survived by his husband and his parents in Cuba, according to Gutierrez.

Nelson Fernandez described his husband as a “special being, a special soul that comes once in a lifetime.” His partner was also “a good friend, a good son,” as well as a “good companion at work” and “a good spouse” who supported family back in Cuba, he said.

Fernandez told CNN’s Jake Tapper Friday evening that Acosta Fajardo was also “a very happy person” who would play music and dance in their yard before mowing the lawn. Acosta Fajardo would have celebrated his 54th birthday on Friday.

“Instead of celebrating his birthday, I’m mourning him,” Fernandez lamented.

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CNN’s Aaron Cooper, Pete Muntean, Andy Rose, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Julianna Bragg, Chris Boyette, Amanda Musa, Alexandra Skores, Rebekah Riess and Jose Alvarez contributed to this report.