Isaac Zimmern: Zoom executive's 27-year-old son named fourth victim of Half Moon Bay plane crash

HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA: Isaac Zimmern, 27, the son of a prominent Zoom executive, has been identified as the fourth casualty of January 14 plane crash near Half Moon Bay.

Zimmern was reportedly accompanied by his girlfriend of over a decade, Emma Willmer-Shiles, affectionately known as Pearl, who was also 27.

The pair, who were childhood sweethearts, resided in San Francisco, per Daily Mail. 

The tragic accident occurred in a homemade aircraft piloted by Lochie Ferrier, an Australian experimental plane enthusiast.

Ferrier and his venture capitalist fiancée, Cassidy Petit, also lost their lives in the crash.

So far, only the body of Willmer-Shiles has been recovered, discovered by a fishing trawler earlier this week. 

Who was Isaac Zimmern?

Isaac was the offspring of Johann Zimmern, 59, who holds the position of Head of Global Education Marketing at Zoom in San Francisco and resides in a $1.1 million residence in the city's Sunnyside area.

Zimmern, along with his partner Emma Willmer-Shiles, and a resident of San Francisco, were aboard a single-engine, four-seater Cozy MK IV aircraft when it tragically plunged into the sea.

Zimmern's family reportedly confirmed his identity as one of the victims and acknowledged his relationship with Willmer-Shiles in a statement released to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The search for the other three occupants continues, led by rescuers from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Zimmern, as stated on his LinkedIn page and the Burrow website, was a graduate of Lowell High School in 2014.

He pursued a bachelor's degree in economics with a focus on computer and data science at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which he completed in 2020.

Additionally, Zimmern gained valuable experience during his four-year tenure as a game operations lead for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G-League team affiliated with the Golden State Warriors.

Footage reveals wreckage of Cozy Mark IV aircraft washed up on shore

Ferrier, a known figure in the "experimental aircraft" community, was an MIT graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering, class of 2019.

He was employed at Beta Technologies, a company specializing in electric planes, and later relocated to California to join Magpie Aviation in Hayward, a firm focused on electric aircraft.

In October of the previous year, Ferrier, originally from Armidale in New South Wales, announced his engagement to Cassidy Petit, a venture capitalist at RH Capital with a focus on reproductive and maternal health. The proposal took place during a vacation in Baja California.

The couple shared a mutual love for outdoor activities, as evidenced by their social media posts filled with images of climbing, surfing, snorkeling, hiking, and skiing.

Petit's last Instagram post, dated January 1, featured an engagement photo of the couple against the backdrop of the snow-covered peaks of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Disturbing footage emerged this week showing parts of the wreckage of the Cozy Mark IV, a four-seat light aircraft that can be assembled from a kit, washed up on the rocks.

We will be adding details to the story as it is developing.