Frontier Airlines Flight 3345 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) was forced to make an emergency landing and diversion to Miami International Airport (MIA) on Sunday, May 31. This was after an unruly passenger tried to force open an emergency exit door and assaulted a crew member.
The Incident
Approximately 45 minutes into the flight, 51-year-old Juan Gabriel Reyes became highly disruptive. He stated that he wanted to leave the plane, made contact with the cockpit door, and attempted to pry open an emergency exit door. When an off-duty flight attendant moved nearby to assist, Reyes reportedly choked and attacked them.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by USA TODAY, a fellow passenger named Josh Longood – a former professional MMA fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor – jumped up to help alongside the flight crew. Despite Reyes breaking out of flexible plastic cuffs multiple times, Longood and other passengers successfully pinned and immobilised him using seatbelt extenders until landing.
Reyes was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and faces state battery charges. The FBI has since taken over the primary investigation, filing federal criminal complaints for assault and interference with a flight crew. He faces potential Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) civil penalties exceeding $40,000 and up to 20 years in federal prison.
The Aftermath
The plane had to make an emergency landing at MIA around midnight, and passengers were stranded in a closed airport terminal for over three hours. The aircraft finally departed Miami after the disruption was resolved and landed at ORD around 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
As budget airlines like Frontier operate tight aircraft and crew rotations, an unexpected diversion can cause a ripple effect of delays and cancellations for subsequent flights that were scheduled to use that specific plane or crew later in the day.
Reyes has been formally charged in federal court with interference with flight crew members and attendants as well as assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction.
Have you been on a flight were someone caused a disruption like this? Let us know in the comments below.
