The passenger has been identified as 23-year-old Angel Luis Torres Morales of Puerto Rico. WCVB 5 reports that he was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and taken to the hospital Tuesday night. Torres Morales was arraigned Wednesday afternoon. Torres Morales is anticipated to pay a $500 bail and return to Puerto Rico under his parents’ custody.
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Torres Morales and his previous girlfriend have since broken up, according to the report.
See our earlier report below:
A disturbing incident on a JetBlue flight raised alarms as a man attempted to open an emergency exit door while still on the tarmac at Boston Logan International Airport.
The flight, JetBlue 161, was preparing for departure to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the passenger’s outburst occurred during a heated argument with his girlfriend about her cellphone, the Daily Mail reports.
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Passenger Fred Wynn, seated behind the couple, said the disagreement began when the man demanded to see his girlfriend’s phone. When she refused, the situation quickly escalated. The man suddenly leaped from his seat, running down the aisle toward the emergency exit door.
He “got up, ran down the center aisle, grabbed the emergency door,” Wynn told NBC10.
In a moment of sheer panic, the man managed to pull open the emergency exit, triggering the plane’s emergency slide. The pilot informed Air Traffic Control about the incident, stating, “We have a passenger that opened an emergency exit door and tried to jump out the airplane.”
The situation became even more tense as the man approached the door, apparently intending to jump out of the plane. However, quick-thinking law enforcement officials on board, including an air marshal, reacted swiftly.
“As soon as the door was open, the air marshal tackled him,” the pilot explained.
Once the man was subdued and taken to the ground, the passengers reportedly felt a sense of relief.
Despite the dramatic turn of events, no passengers or crew were injured. The man was handcuffed, escorted off the plane and taken into custody by Massachusetts State Police. Authorities have yet to release the individual’s identity as he has not been formally charged, though he is scheduled to appear at East Boston District Court.
Other passengers were reportedly shaken by the incident.
“They were freaking out,” Wynn said, describing the tense moments as the situation unfolded.
Videos from the scene show the man being escorted from the aircraft in handcuffs as emergency vehicles surrounded the plane.
The flight, which had already begun taxiing on the runway, was ultimately delayed by the disturbance. Passengers were stuck on the tarmac for several hours before being transferred to another plane to continue their journey to San Juan. JetBlue confirmed that the passengers arrived safely at their destination, although it took roughly three additional hours before the new aircraft was ready.
The terrifying incident occurred just days after two bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a different JetBlue flight. The plane had arrived in Fort Lauderdale from New York’s JFK Airport. The bodies, which were badly decomposed, were found during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office reported that their identities and the circumstances surrounding their access to the aircraft remain under investigation.
JetBlue expressed condolences regarding the tragedy, stating, “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred.”
