Federal charges filed against man who tried to open exit door during Frontier flight to Chicago
Federal charges have been filed against a man who had to be restrained after he tried to open the door of a Frontier Airlines plane mid-flight to Chicago.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Wednesday that Juan Gabriel Reyes, 51, of Chicago is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, and assault within maritime territorial jurisdiction for an incident on a Frontier flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago on Sunday.
Police said during the flight, Reyes tried to open the plane's exit doors in mid-air, saying he wanted to get off the plane. When flight attendants tried to stop him and make him sit down, he first tried to break into the pilots' cabin, then attacked an off-duty flight attendant who also on the flight, trying to choke him as flight attendants and some passengers restrained him.
One of those passengers was former MMA fighter John Longood. With his background in mixed martial arts and a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu, Longood felt confident when he stepped in to subdue Reyes.
"I just grabbed him, restrained him as safely as possible, kind of just really put him in his row, and laid him down, kind of framed against him, controlled his hands and his feet," Longood said.
Reyes was placed in plastic hand restraints, but slipped out of them. Longood said he held Reyes down until the plane made an emergency landing in Miami and local police came aboard to take him into custody. He said he would not hesitate to help again in the future if another incident like this happens.
"Absolutely. I know I'm capable of doing something like that. I know that I can do that and help people be safe," he said.
Federal prosecutors said Reyes faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for the interference charge and up to a year in prison on the assault charge if convicted.
The FBI's Miami office is investigating the incident with help from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
