A JetBlue flight 161 scheduled to depart Boston’s Logan International Airport for San Juan, Puerto Rico, was interrupted on Tuesday evening when a male passenger allegedly opened an overwing exit door and deployed the emergency slide as the plane was taxiing around 7:30 p.m. local time.
DEVELOPING: Fellow passengers forced to restrain person who opened door to @JetBlue while taxiing @BostonLogan, deploying the plane’s emergency slide. @7News pic.twitter.com/i8BIce8Wie
— Stephen Quinn (@stephenquinntv) January 8, 2025
A man is in custody after opening a door and deploying an emergency slide on a JetBlue flight preparing to depart from Logan Airport’s Runway 33 tonight.
Mass State Police detectives are questioning the suspect, who is expected to appear in court tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/GFAMQNEU3W
— Bostonians Against Mayor Wu (@AntiWuCoalition) January 8, 2025
According to the FAA, the passenger had reportedly been arguing with his girlfriend shortly before he rose from his seat, proceeded down the aisle, and opened the exit door. Another passenger recounted that the man “got mad, got up, walked down the center aisle, grabbed the emergency door, ripped it off, completely off.” An FBI agent on board tackled the suspect, who was then restrained until Massachusetts State Police troopers arrived to take him into custody.
State Police said in a statement that “shortly before takeoff, a passenger who wanted to deplane opened an aircraft door suddenly and without warning.” The passenger will face charges and is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday in East Boston District Court.
JetBlue swapped the Airbus A320 for another aircraft so passengers could continue their flight to San Juan. Meanwhile, other flights experienced delays as a result of the emergency slide deployment.
Replacing a slide that’s been deployed is costly. Delaying a flight is costly. Yet the people who do it never seem to bear the consequences. That’s probably because the very act of doing it seems like prima facie evidence of not bearing responsibility for one’s actions. Except when you’re grabbing a beer on the way out and peacing out your airline employer – which also happened on JetBlue.
Forrest is right again, “Stupid is as stupid does”……
Imagine that you’d paid for jetBlue Mint (lie-flat) on the a321, then this jabroni opens the emergency exit, causing a 3+ hour delay, and a downgauged aircraft to the a320 with regular economy seats.
Contact your elected officials and tell them you want people who pull crap like this to be accountable for the full $$ cost, even if that means washing dishes in the prison scullery and picking up trash alongside the highway for the next however many years. Otherwise we’ll all keep on sharing the real costs amongst ourselves via higher ticket prices.
Make an example out of one or two and things might change.
Think about it…
That was some argument that you want out now and not in San Juan.
5 years in jail for the first offense. Bet this crap stops pretty quickly.
Why not try to change seats? The passenger cannot control his temper.
5 years and jail and put on a permanent no fly list for all airlines. I guess he won’t have to worry about sitting next to his girlfriend now.
You can’t cure stupid. Another toddler in an adult body.
Never ceases to amaze me on B6
Ay, Caramba!
Why’d they stop him from leaving? Could’ve placed bets on how far he’d get blown down the taxiway by the jet blast.
Gee whiz, you still can’t fix stupid. Another day, another idiot.
I’m assuming there will be consequences (e.g. a ban), in addition to the charges.
He was charged with interfering with aircraft operation (MGL Chapter 90, Section 40).
East Boston Municipal Court, case number 2505CR000022.
I hope JetBlue also sues him for all costs incurred. (Ryanair recently sued a disruptive passenger. If a lawsuit is going to work in Europe, it will definitely work in the US!)
Don’t care if the act itself indicates mental illness — there needs to be personal consequences.
“Replacing a slide that’s been deployed is costly.”
Triple 7-ER slide replacement cost (slide & actuators) is approx $100K.
Please don’t ask how I know.