A passenger on Frontier Airlines flight 3345 to Chicago had to divert to Miami International Airport due to an unusual passenger incident. After attempting to open an emergency exit door and enter the cockpit, a male passenger reportedly evaded restraints several times, and, at one point, tried to choke an off-duty flight attendant.
Flights do occasionally have to divert if disruptive passenger incidents occur, as was the case of a recent Delta Air Lines flight to Shanghai Pudong from Los Angeles International Airport, which left travelers stranded overnight.
Thankfully, the passengers on board the Frontier Airlines flight on Sunday only faced a delay of a few hours. But this story has a hero; after several interventions from the crew, another passenger stepped in to subdue the man. As a jiu-jitsu instructor, he was well-equipped to lend a hand.
What Happened On The Frontier Flight 3345 That Diverted To Miami
Flight tracking information from FlightAware shows that on Sunday, May 31, Frontier Airlines flight 3345 departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on schedule, headed for Chicago, O’Hare International Airport. While en route, one passenger, Juan Gabriel Reyes, became increasingly disruptive on board.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office obtained by ABC Eyewitness News, Reyes first began exclaiming that he wanted to get off the flight, then tried unsuccessfully to open the emergency exit door. He then charged the cockpit, where he began “shoving his shoulder aggressively at the pilot’s door,” apparently trying to access the cockpit.
Flight 3345 Journey
Time
Departed San Juan:
8:20 PM EDT
Landed at Miami:
11:55 PM EDT
A flight attendant was able to get him to leave the area near the cockpit door and let him use the lavatory on the way back to his seat. Instead of using the facilities correctly, Reyes attempted to urinate on the floor, then was escorted to a new seat where he could be supervised by an off-duty flight attendant.
It was there that Reyes apparently tried to grab his row-mate’s bag off the floor, then “got on top of the victim” after he relocated to a seat across the aisle. Reyes is then said to have “grabbed the victim by the head and choked him,” after which several other crew and passengers got involved. One of those passengers was Chicago’s Josh Longood, who, luckily for everyone on board, happens to be a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and an instructor.
A Chicago Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Subdued The Disruptive Passenger
Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo airplanesCredit: Shutterstock
Several crew members and passengers attempted to restrain Reyes following the choking incident, and were eventually able to subdue him and apply flex cuffs.
Flex Cuffs are a wrist restraint that works like handcuffs, but are made out of plastic and operate in a manner similar to a zip-tie.
Among those passengers who stepped up to help was Longood, who can be seen wearing a jiu-jitsu t-shirt in the video recorded by a fellow passenger. Longood is a jiu-jitsu instructor in Chicago and was uniquely equipped to help the crew with the evolving situation with Reyes.
“I knew that I could take care of it and handle it without him or anybody else getting injured. I was already ready for something to happen, so I instantly, you know, restrained him, put him in his row, laid him down, tied him up with a seatbelt,” Longood told ABC Eyewitness News.
It was not a simple job restraining Reyes until the diverted Frontier flight landed in Miami. He reportedly broke out of flex cuffs several times and continued to cause general disruption by crying out and resisting other restraint methods.
Authorities met the flight at the gate, where Reyes was taken into custody by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. He was later handed over to the FBI for questioning, and the flight soon continued on to Chicago, landing just before 6 am.
The Disruptive Passenger Is Facing Federal Charges
Seal of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the headquarters in Washington, D.C.Credit: The Bold Bureau, Shutterstock
Reyes was booked in Miami and charged with a single count of battery in the state of Florida, and could face up to $40,000 in fines from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although these penalties are severe, the two federal charges Reyes has accrued carry with them the stiffest penalties.
Because Reyes caused this incident on an airplane – in this case, from a U.S. territory bound for Illinois, diverted to Florida – no one state law applies, and any charges stemming from his behavior before landing at Miami International Airport are addressed federally.
After questioning by the FBI, Reyes was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. While the latter carries a maximum sentence of only a year, the former could land him up to 20 years in federal prison.
Neither the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office nor the FBI has released any details that might give context as to why Reyes became so disruptive while aboard Sunday’s flight to Chicago. The only insight we may have is from Longood.
“I know he was intoxicated. I could smell alcohol on him, but you know, I’m not in his brain; I just know that whatever he’s thinking or doing, I know I’m not going to let him do that,” said Longood.
Alaska Airlines recently bore the ire of the FAA’s latest crackdown on passenger behavior and is now facing a $165,000 fine for allegedly allowing intoxicated passengers to board who are intoxicated in 2024 and 2025. No word yet on whether Frontier Airlines may suffer a similar fine stemming from Sunday’s incident, though, judging by the timeline it pursued with Alaska, the FAA may not issue that notice until next year or possibly even the following.