CHADRON - A Scottsbluff High School and a Gering High School graduate have been identified as two of the people who passed away in a plane crash near Chadron on Sunday night. 

Noah Bruner, a staff member at Power2Play Sports in Windsor, Colo., and Sydnee Brester were two of three people in a six-passenger, Cessna 310 T310R airplane that crashed a mile-and-a-half away from the Chadron Municipal Airport.

Bruner - a "beloved staff member and avid Vikings fan", according to a social media post from Power2Play Sports - was traveling back to Fort Collins with his father, Matthew, and his brother's girlfriend, Sydnee. They had just dropped off Noah's brother, James, in Chadron. 

"Our hearts are broken," the post read. "A beautiful man, inside and out. Destined for greatness in our company, as an official, and in general, an amazing human being. Our hearts and prayers go out to his mom, Deidra. We are without words, and filled with sorrow and tears."

Bruner graduated from Scottsbluff in 2018 and was a member of the football and basketball teams.

His father, Dr. Matthew Bruner, worked at the Women's Center at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. 

Brester is a 2021 graduate from Gering High School. Her mother, Angie, is a long-time teacher at Lincoln Elementary in Gering. 

"Our entire team at Gering Public Schools extends sincerest thoughts and condolences to Angie, the entire Brester family, and the many friends and classmates grieving Sydnee's loss," the school said in a statement Monday. "Our hearts are also with the other families impacted by this accident."

The school district activated their crisis intervention team to support students and school personnel.

Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug says the crash happened around 7:30 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing a "fireball" or "explosion," and when first responders arrived on scene, it was determined a small aircraft had crashed.

An investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing. 

This is a developing story. Stay with News Channel Nebraska for the latest.