Distorted Man Makes His Way Into Plane Causing 3,5 Hours Delay

Victor Westerkamp
By Victor Westerkamp
October 8, 2019US News
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Distorted Man Makes His Way Into Plane Causing 3,5 Hours Delay
American Airlines aircraft are shown parked at their gates at Miami International Airport in Miami (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

A disruptive passenger was forcibly removed from American Airlines flight 1060 to Newark at 6:50 on Monday morning.

“Come on, guys! What time is it? We’re going to Newark, New Jersey, 6:50,” said the man on a cellphone video posted by a passenger named Carlitos to his Instagram account.

Ari Teman, another passenger told CBS 4: “This guy ran on the flight and he started shouting that it was his plane and that he was from the FBI. And everyone started standing up to watch, and they were blocking the aisle, and then they called for security, and he was dragged off the plane. It looked like he was faking—like he was having a schizophrenic episode. He was acting like a toddler having a fake tantrum. It was too far under control.”

Reportedly, the unidentified man made his way past the boarding gate and rushed into the plane and started shouting incoherently.

A passenger who identified herself as Aisha told CBS4: “There was a man in front of me who was sweating. Then he came flying past me, and he was sprinting. Then he tried to get past the gate and get on the plane, and he was being screamed at by passengers. And then a flight attendant started screaming, don’t let him on. Don’t let him on. It took five guys to take this guy into custody. It was quite a scene. He got up on the seats next to me. Imagine. It was about 6 in the morning, and this was just wild.”

In a statement from the airlines to Fox News it reads: “During the boarding process of American Airlines flight 1060 from Miami to Newark, a ticketed passenger for that flight ran on the jetbridge, bypassing the gate agent. Law enforcement was summoned, who removed the passenger.”

According to Carlitos’ post, it was ten minutes before airport security officials arrived and removed the man from the plane: “I’m surprised it took more than 10 minutes for MIA airport security to get into our aircraft at gate D3 to handle a situation where this man was forcing himself into the plane!!! Security??”

“Then the captain got on the loudspeaker and said he thought the guy was a decoy, and so they are going to deplane and check everything,” Teman remarked.

All passengers had to deplane. After a thorough security check, and after establishing the “decoy” threat was positively cleared, flight 1060 departed at 10:17 a.m. some three and a half hours later than scheduled.

The man was detained and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital under the Baker Act, which makes it possible to lock up people who seem to act insane for ‘observation’ for a maximum of 72 hours.

Teman concluded, “Considering how crazy it was, the police acted very professionally, and I am glad it ended well.”

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