Jan. 8 (UPI) — A JetBlue passenger allegedly opened the emergency exit door and deployed the slide of a taxiing airplane before leaving Boston’s Logan International Airport on Tuesday night, bringing the flight to a halt.
The FAA said the passenger on Flight 161 on its way to San Juan, Puerto Rico, is expected to face charges for the suspected incident. Witnesses told authorities that the man and his girlfriend were arguing and he left his seat and opened the emergency door.
“Shortly before takeoff, a passenger who wanted to deplane opened an aircraft door suddenly and without warning,” Massachusetts State Police said, according to CBS News. “Other passengers restrained the individual until troopers arrived on scene to detain them for further questioning.”
The suspect, who has not been identified publicly, was expected to be arraigned in East Boston District Court on Wednesday.
The incident in Boston comes a day after Broward County authorities in Florida reported the discovery of two bodies in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue-operated plane that landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Monday.
Authorities said the bodies were both badly decomposed. They are investigating how long the bodies had been in the compartment and how they gained access to a secure area to get into the compartment.
That flight had originated from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The plane started in Kington, Jamaica, and traveled to Salt Lake City before arriving back at JFK to Florida, JetBlue officials said.
