A man has been taken into custody after allegedly attempting to open an airplane door mid-flight and subsequently assaulting an off-duty flight attendant. The suspect, identified as Juan Gabriel Reyes, faces charges of interfering with flight crew members and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction, as confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Reyes has entered a plea. Efforts to reach an attorney for comment were unsuccessful, as per reports from Oxygen.
The incident occurred on May 31 during a Frontier Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago. According to an arrest affidavit, Reyes allegedly left his seat, approached the front of the plane, and attempted to open the emergency exit door, declaring his intention to leave the aircraft.
Despite being stopped by a flight attendant who instructed him to return to his seat, Reyes reportedly proceeded towards the flight deck. There, he placed his hand on the door handle and forcefully pushed his shoulder against the door, ignoring the flight crew’s commands to desist, as detailed in the affidavit.
Though a flight attendant stopped Reyes and instructed him to sit down, authorities allege in the affidavit that he made his way to the flight deck, placed his hand on the handle, and “aggressively” shoved his shoulder against the door. All the while, he was ignoring commands from the flight crew.
A crew member stopped Reyes and escorted him back to his seat, however Reyes announced that he wanted to use the restroom, per the affidavit. The attendant allowed it and once inside, Reyes attempted to pee on the floor.
The situation escalated further once Reyes was back in his seat.
Next, Reyes allegedly grabbed the bag of a male off-duty attendant, who had volunteered to sit near him, then allegedly grabbed him by the head and choked him, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen.
Crew members and fellow passengers jumped in to restrain Reyes with flex cuffs and seat belt extenders, according to the complaint.
Passenger Josh Longood, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, reportedly assisted in the chaotic scene, as depicted in a viral video on social media and published by ABC 7.
“He was just trying to push back and fight back and try to, like, get his arms free,” Longood told ABC 7, “but I pretty much had him completely restrained.”
Longood said he was confident he could control Reyes without hurting other passengers.
“I was already ready for something to happen,” he added, “so I instantly restrained him, put him in his row, laid him down, tied him up with a seatbelt.”
Ultimately, the flight was diverted to Miami International Airport where Reyes was arrested. He refused to speak to authorities without a lawyer present, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted of all charges, Reyes faces up to 20 years in prison on the interference charge and one year in prison for the assault charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Reyes will next appear in court on June 5.
