As a Delta flight from Raleigh, North Carolina, to LaGuardia Airport in New York City was on its final descent, a distressed young female passenger tried to open the front door of the plane.
In an audio obtained by NBC4, the pilot can be heard saying “Would like to declare an emergency. The forward service door has been opened … we just had a mentally disturbed passenger tried [sic] to open the forward door,” the pilot reported to air traffic control. “Everything is under control now. We’re going to be taxiing to the gate.”
The mentally disturbed passenger came out of the bathroom accompanied by high-pitched screams and attempted to open the door and commit suicide.
A passenger wrote on Twitter about the occurrence.
“A young woman in perhaps her early twenties became suicidal and tried to open the door of plane as we descended into LGA,” wrote Stacey Herbert on Twitter. “Her father pulled her from door. She was screaming her head off that she needed to open the door and die… I wasn’t scared as I knew the door could not be opened but her shrieks were terrifying. And she was sitting behind us so when she was pulled back to her seat it was awful to see her suicidal distress.”
Police surrounding our plane pic.twitter.com/axj56XLFKH
— Stacy Herbert (@stacyherbert) May 10, 2019
I wasn’t scared as I knew the door could not be opened but her shrieks were terrifying. And she was sitting behind us so when she was pulled back to her seat it was awful to see her suicidal distress.
— Stacy Herbert (@stacyherbert) May 10, 2019
Passengers said that the woman was quelled by her father and a flight attendant.
The plane landed safely and no one was hurt, the distressed woman was taken to a nearby hospital for observation, according to NBC4.
The passengers had to wait for an hour and had to give statements as airport officers vehicle drove in to inspect the scene.
Still stuck here pic.twitter.com/6c5NSXYxUA
— Stacy Herbert (@stacyherbert) May 10, 2019
Herbert later wrote on Twitter that “According to the updates, the young woman was 20 and had been a victim of a crime and was being transported back home by her father.”
According to the updates, the young woman was 20 and had been a victim of a crime and was being transported back home by her father. https://t.co/bl220bIs2Q
— Stacy Herbert (@stacyherbert) May 10, 2019
Suicide Lifeline Information
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours, 7 days a week at: 1-800-273-8255 (English and Spanish).
There is a lot of information available on the organization’s website, including for veterans, young adults, and bully victims.
Suicide Risk Factors
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline website identifies the following suicide risk factors. “Risk factors are characteristics that make it more likely that someone will consider, attempt, or die by suicide,” the website states.
- Mental disorders, particularly mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and certain personality disorders
- Alcohol and other substance use disorders
- Hopelessness
- Impulsive and/or aggressive tendencies
- History of trauma or abuse
- Major physical illnesses
- Previous suicide attempt
- Family history of suicide
- Job or financial loss
- Loss of relationship
- Easy access to lethal means
- Local clusters of suicide
- Lack of social support and sense of isolation
- Stigma associated with asking for help
- Lack of health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Cultural and religious beliefs, such as the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
- Exposure to others who have died by suicide (in real life or via the media and Internet)
Epoch Times reporter Denisse Moreno contributed to this report.
