Man, 51, on Puerto Rico-US flight, allegedly tried to open emergency exit door & choked flight attendant

A 51-year-old man was arrested on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago, U.S., for behaving in an unruly manner.

The man, identified as Juan Gabriel Reyes, allegedly choked an off-duty flight attendant, attempted to open an emergency exit door, tried to break into the cockpit, and attempted to urinate onto the lavatory floor, CNN reported.

The incident took place on May 31 on a flight on Frontier Airlines, an American ultra-low-cost carrier, 45 minutes after departure from San Juan.

Disruptive

According to an arrest affidavit, Reyes reportedly became disruptive and wanted to get off the plane.

He then apparently made attempts to open an emergency exit door.

After being prevented from doing so, Reyes purportedly approached the cockpit and began “shoving his shoulder aggressively on the pilot’s door”.

A flight attendant ushered Reyes away from the cockpit door and permitted him to use the lavatory on the way back to his seat.

Reyes allegedly attempted to urinate onto the lavatory floor.

Off-duty flight attendant sat in his row

He was then escorted to a new seat.

An off-duty flight attendant volunteered to sit in his row.

When the off-duty flight attendant relocated his belongings and went to the lavatory, Reyes tried to grab his bag off the floor.

When the off-duty flight attendant told Reyes to stop and moved to a seat across the aisle, Reyes reportedly “got on top of the victim” and “grabbed the victim by the head and choked him”.

Restrained

Several passengers and on-duty flight attendants proceeded to restrain Reyes.

In a TikTok, passengers and flight attendants were seen restraining Reyes using flex cuffs.

@isamarrsilvaa Frontier Puerto Rico To Chicago Flight Delay, Emergency Stop At Miami #frontierairlines #puertoricotochicago #miami #intoxicaded #flightattendants ♬ original sound - Isamarr Silvaa

A man wearing a black t-shirt that said “Jiu-Jitsu”, which appeared to be merchandise from the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), was seen on top of Reyes.

A passenger was heard saying, “Chill out, bro,” in response to Reyes, who was shouting while being restrained.

A flight attendant then instructed the man to tie the flex cuffs behind Reyes' back.

“The strap’s too tight,” the man said.

Reyes was heard shouting expletives in protest.

“You already broke out once,” another passenger said in response.

“You’re not gonna die,” he added.

With the help of other passengers, Reyes was eventually restrained.

According to CBS News, one of those who helped restrain Reyes was Josh Longood, a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

"I knew he was gonna do something crazy so I restrained him and then, like, put him against the window and kinda safely controlled him so he couldn't hurt anybody," Longood said.

Diverted

The flight was eventually diverted to Miami International Airport and landed at about 11:55pm.

Reyes was taken into custody by the local police and turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for questioning.

The flight proceeded to Chicago a few hours later, Frontier Airlines said.

Reyes was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction.