'Maybe 15 hours missing': Fox's Jennifer Griffin details urgent search for downed US pilot in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC: A US service member remains unaccounted for deep inside Iran, with Fox News' Jennifer Griffin revealing that the missing crew member has now been gone for roughly 15 hours.

Speaking on Fox News on Friday, April 3, Griffin detailed the growing urgency around the search effort after an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down overnight, triggering a high-risk rescue mission under hostile conditions.

Jennifer Griffin details enemy fire during F-15E rescue mission

Providing a step-by-step account, Griffin disclosed that the situation was even more dangerous than initially understood.

“We’ve just learned that there was enemy fire during that rescue of one of the crew members who was successfully rescued,” she said, adding that “at least one aircraft, if not as well as a helicopter,” involved in the mission was targeted.

However, she clarified a key point amid circulating speculation, saying, “It would be incorrect to say that another plane or helicopter was brought down during that rescue mission. That is not accurate.”

According to Griffin, the incident began late Thursday night US time, when the F-15E was flying in darkness before being hit.

“It was dark out, still dark in Iran at the time,” she explained, noting that the pilots ejected during those early hours.

One of them has since been recovered and is “undergoing treatment right now.”

She also pointed to visuals showing US special operations activity in the region, including helicopters like Pave Hawks being refueled mid-operation - a sign of the complexity and scale of the rescue effort.

The most alarming detail emerged when Trace Gallagher pressed Griffin on the timeline.

Asking whether the pilot had been missing for “12, 14 hours,” Gallagher sought clarity on how long the search had been underway.

Griffin’s response raised the stakes further: “I would say longer than that, maybe 15 hours missing.”

Clock ticking in hostile territory

Griffin emphasized the time difference between the US and Iran to explain the prolonged gap, noting that the jet went down in darkness but that rescue visuals later showed daytime search operations still underway.

“We did see visuals of a daytime search and rescue as they were continuing to look for the missing crew member,” she added.

With one pilot safe but another still stranded, the situation remains fluid and increasingly dangerous.

The combination of nighttime combat conditions, confirmed enemy fire during rescue attempts, and the extended window of time without contact underscores the risks facing US forces operating inside Iranian territory as efforts continue to bring the missing crew member home.