A JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston had to be diverted to Orlando after a crazed passenger who called himself “the devil” allegedly punched a woman he was traveling with, witnesses said.
The violent incident occurred Thursday night aboard JetBlue Flight 170, which was disrupted and delayed for more than five hours.
The airline confirmed to The Post Friday that the flight was “diverted to Orlando due to a disturbance between two customers on board.”
A male passenger, who has not been publicly identified, made threats, told those around him that he was a demon and physically attacked his female travel companion, WCVB-TV reported, citing witness accounts.
A man sitting near the frantic customer at the back of the plane told the station that the flight attendant put the woman in the bathroom for safety – and the man pounded on the door to try to get her out.
Screenshots from cellphone video taken aboard JetBlue Flight 170 show an unruly passenger being escorted off the plane after the violent explosion. @LeoRuiz037 A flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston had to be diverted to Orlando Thursday night due to the disruption. @LeoRuiz037
Traveler Max Seelig, who was sitting in the front of the plane, said one of the crew members told him and his neighbor that the plane would make a “pit stop” in Orlando, but that it would not be announced “in case it angered the man,” he said.
Passenger Leo Ruiz recorded cellphone video showing the out-of-control flyer, wearing a hoodie and baseball cap, being escorted off the plane by officers after it landed in Orlando.
Only after the man was safely ejected did the pilot explain to other passengers what had happened, as seen in Ruiz’s footage.
The male passenger allegedly punched a woman, pictured in this screenshot, who was traveling with him. @LeoRuiz037
“We have a disruptive and violent passenger in the back,” the pilot said. “Unfortunately, I can’t make an announcement, tell him. We don’t want to upset him more than before, he attacked other passengers.”
A JetBlue spokesperson told The Post that two customers “were terminated with the assistance of law enforcement, and the flight continued to Boston with delays.”
Passengers had to wait hours in Orlando for planes to be refueled and new crew to arrive. Reuters
Passengers said they all had to disembark in Orlando, wait for the plane to be refueled and a new crew to arrive, before re-boarding, with the flight landing in Boston at 4:31 a.m. Friday.
Meanwhile, police in Orlando said the unruly passenger had not been arrested.
“The individual was drunk and taken to a local hospital by [Orlando Fire Department] for treatment,” a department spokesperson told The Post Friday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
