Most frequent fliers will have come into far too close contact with someone who makes a long-haul flight a nightmare. It could be a screaming child, a nervous talker neighbor, or, in this case, a passenger determined to open the door of the flight.
The Frontier Airlines Flight 3345 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to O’Hare International was thrown into turmoil as 51-year-old Juan Reyes went on a rampage through the cabin of the plane. Drunk and clearly unhappy with the in-seat service, he was seen trying to open the cabin door mid-flight, urinating on the floor of the toilet cubicle, attempting to get into the pilot’s cabin, and finally choking out an attendant.
Reyes had already been making a nuisance of himself for some time before the staff was able to make him take his seat. He was being guarded by an off-duty flight attendant when he became violent, choking the volunteer in the aisle. Former MMA fighter John Longood, from Chicago, took the initiative.
Long Haul Leg Lock
#BREAKING : Frontier Flight Diverted After Passenger Allegedly Tries to Open Exit Door
A Frontier Airlines flight traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago was diverted to Miami after a passenger allegedly tried to open an emergency exit door during the flight.
Fellow… pic.twitter.com/ln8NHvkLBi
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Using his experience as a professional mixed martial arts fighter and Brazilian jujitsu black belt, he slipped behind the hooligan and put him in a restraint made for the octagon. As a professional, he knew how to hold the man without hurting him, while ensuring he had little chance of escape.
Speaking to CBS, he said, “I just grabbed him, restrained him as safely as possible, kind of just really put him in his row, and laid him down, kind of framed against him, controlled his hands and his feet.”
Despite being incapacitated, the unruly passenger didn’t give up the fight. He made his frustrations known, making more of a fool of himself than before. However, now, the flight attendants could focus on restoring the peace while the pilots made an emergency landing in Miami.
“It was like holding a kid down throwing a tantrum,” Longwood stated. “I was joking with him. I was like, ‘We are going to be best friends after this, bro.” His quick thinking and professionalism safely and quickly ended a scene that could have become a lot messier, had the drunk man been allowed to become more violent.
As a result of his disorderly on-board actions, Reyes could be slapped with a hefty fine of up to $40,000 from the FAA. Police have also charged him with misdemeanor battery. It will be a long time before he’s making too much of the in-flight miniatures.