A man has been taken into custody for opening the emergency door of a JetBlue airplane that was taxiing at Logan Airport in Boston on December 7.
Witnesses reported that the man, whose name has not been released, was arguing with his girlfriend when he suddenly opened the emergency door, causing a delay for the flight. The plane was scheduled to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A passenger named Fred Wynn described the incident, stating, “The boyfriend and girlfriend were arguing behind me. The boyfriend got mad, stood up, walked down the aisle, and ripped the emergency door off.” An FBI agent, who was also on the flight, intervened and subdued the man until law enforcement arrived.
State police responded to the scene around 7:30 p.m. Officials confirmed that other passengers had helped restrain the man until the police could take him for further questioning. They reported that the man wanted to leave the plane and opened the door without any warning.
Authorities indicated that the individual is likely to face charges and will appear in court the following morning. While his identity has not been disclosed yet, early reports state that this was an isolated incident and did not pose a threat to public safety.
The FAA is currently investigating the situation. JetBlue noted that the man opened the door for reasons that are unclear and mentioned that the flight was eventually redirected to another plane, which has since arrived in San Juan. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during this unusual episode.
