Latest news with #passengerattack
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Meditating Frontier passenger, 21, seen CACKLING after mid-air brawl has smile wiped off his face on landing
A Frontier Airlines passenger who was caught on camera cackling after allegedly attacking a fellow flyer while mid-air had his smug grin wiped clean off his face the moment the plane landed. Ishann Sharma, 21, of New Jersey, was arrested Tuesday and charged with battery after a violent brawl erupted on board a flight arriving at Miami International Airport, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the tarmac Monday night following reports of an assault on a flight coming into the airport. An arrest report states Sharma approached a fellow passenger and grabbed him without warning by the neck as the man was returning to his seat. Bizarrely, Sharma's defense attorney claimed the incident occurred after a passenger took issue with his client for meditating. Video shows a grisly fistfight between Sharma and the victim - a man wearing a grey sweatshirt and sporting dreadlocks - as they slug it out in a row of seats, while shocked passengers plead with them to stop. The pair were eventually pulled apart, but Sharma returned to his seat grinning, allegedly mumbling to himself and snapping selfies of his bloodied face. He sustained a cut above his left eyebrow, while the victim suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment. Sharma's smirk didn't last long as he was marched off the plane in handcuffs by deputies and taken to Jackson West Hospital for treatment before being booked into custody. Sharma appeared in bond court on Tuesday, where his attorney bizarrely claimed the altercation began while he was meditating. 'My client is from a religion where he was meditating,' said defense attorney Renee Gordon. 'Unfortunately, the passenger behind him did not like that.' But the excuse didn't sway Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gerald Hubbart, who set Sharma's bond at $500. He also ordered Sharma to have no contact with the victim, either in person or on social media, and issued a 500-foot stay-away order from the victim's school and workplace. A clear motive for the alleged mid-air assault has yet to be determined. Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to Daily Mail's request for comment. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gerald Hubbart who set Sharma's bond at $500 and forbid him from having contact with the victim It comes just months after passengers aboard a Frontier flight had to restrain an unruly patron after he punched out a window on the jet. Footage captured aboard Flight 4856 from Denver to Houston showed the unknown man frantically lashing out at his fellow passengers in early February. Those onboard had to resort to using shoelaces and zip ties to restrain him following the violent outburst, which saw him punch through the plexiglass of a window.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- The Sun
Shocking moment ‘half-devil' passenger tries to stab flight attendant & open emergency exit in horror midair attack
THIS is the terrifying moment a crazed passenger tried to stab a flight attendant and open the emergency exit while mid-flight. Francisco Severo Torres, 34, has pleaded guilty to the horror attack in March 2023. 4 The dramatic turn of events took place aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston. About 45 minutes into the journey, a flight attendant reportedly raised the alarm after noticing shady behaviour near one of the plane's emergency exits. Torres was confronted by the flight attendant and asked if he had tampered with the door. That was when he got out of his seat and marched back over to the door. Shocking footage taken by a fellow passenger shows Torres shouting that he was 'taking over this plane' and that he would 'kill every man on this plane.' The crazed passenger then lunges at a flight attendant, trying to stab them with a broken metal spoon. Torres beat the flight attended three times around the neck, according to federal prosecutors. Passengers then tackled Torres and he was restrained with the assistance of flight crew. Once the plane landed at Logan Airport the man was detained. Torres later told the cops that he had wanted to open the door to jump out of the plane - and said he knew many people would die if he did, according to charging documents. Torres has pleaded guilty to the attack, admitting to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew using a dangerous weapon, according to the office of Massachusetts US Attorney Leah Foley. This comes after a passenger was tackled by fellow flyers after attempting to pull the plane's emergency exit lever while at 35,000 feet. The Plus Ultra flight 701 was heading from Madrid, Spain, to Caracas , Venezuela on 28 February when the incident took place. The Airbus A330 was about halfway through its journey, flying high over the Atlantic Ocean when the man became "restless". A Plus Ultra spokesperson said: 'A passenger began to feel restless, annoying the person in the next seat with shouts and slapping him while he was asleep. 'The crew acted quickly, calming the situation between the two and relocating the passenger to another seat where he could not disturb anyone. 'Moments later, this individual suddenly went to one of the doors of the plane trying to manipulate it. 'Immediately, our cabin crew subdued the passenger and, following the action protocol, secured him in the back of the plane until he reached the destination. 'At all times he was accompanied by two people from the crew, lying on the ground and attended to avoid any possible altercation.' The passenger was reportedly detained after the plane landed in Caracas. It is unclear exactly what prompted the man to try to open the plane door. It is nearly impossible to open modern plane doors after they have reached around 10,000 feet. This is because the difference between the internal cabin pressure and the outside air pressure effectively seals the doors. Some aircraft have a special flight lock feature that mechanically closes the door after the aircraft reaches a certain speed. 4
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Massachusetts man pleads guilty to attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attacking a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon and attempting to open an airliner's emergency door on a cross-country flight. Francisco Severo Torres, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon in the March 2023 disturbance on United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston. According to prosecutor and witness accounts, Torres went on a midair rant and tried to stab a crew member with a modified metal spoon. The plane was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew received an alarm that a side door on the aircraft was disarmed, according to court documents. One flight attendant noticed the door's locking handle had been moved. Another saw Torres near the door and believed he had moved the handle. Cabin pressure during flight prevents airplane doors from opening. Torres started loudly rambling that his father was Dracula, that he wanted to be shot so he could be reincarnated and that he would kill everyone on board, another passenger said. He punched a male flight attendant, who felt the metal spoon in Torres' hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie three times, according to court documents. No one was injured. Torres was eventually subdued and restrained by other passengers. He was arrested when the flight landed at Boston Logan International Airport, authorities said. Torres could be sentenced up to life in prison. A lawyer for Torres could not be reached for comment. Torres has spent time in mental health facilities, according to court records. The police chief in his hometown said officers have dealt with him several times since 2014, mostly over family issues and mental health episodes. During one court appearance after his arrest, a federal judge ruled that Torres was not competent to stand trial and that he needed additional treatment. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein based her decision on a mental health evaluation of Torres and her own observations.
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Associated Press
Massachusetts man pleads guilty to attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attacking a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon and attempting to open an airliner's emergency door on a cross-country flight. Francisco Severo Torres, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon in the March 2023 disturbance on United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston. According to prosecutor and witness accounts, Torres went on a midair rant and tried to stab a crew member with a modified metal spoon. The plane was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew received an alarm that a side door on the aircraft was disarmed, according to court documents. One flight attendant noticed the door's locking handle had been moved. Another saw Torres near the door and believed he had moved the handle. Cabin pressure during flight prevents airplane doors from opening. Torres started loudly rambling that his father was Dracula, that he wanted to be shot so he could be reincarnated and that he would kill everyone on board, another passenger said. He punched a male flight attendant, who felt the metal spoon in Torres' hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie three times, according to court documents. No one was injured. Torres was eventually subdued and restrained by other passengers. He was arrested when the flight landed at Boston Logan International Airport, authorities said. Torres could be sentenced up to life in prison. A lawyer for Torres could not be reached for comment. Torres has spent time in mental health facilities, according to court records. The police chief in his hometown said officers have dealt with him several times since 2014, mostly over family issues and mental health episodes. During one court appearance after his arrest, a federal judge ruled that Torres was not competent to stand trial and that he needed additional treatment. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein based her decision on a mental health evaluation of Torres and her own observations.
