AN incident aboard a Frontier Airlines flight turned into a scene straight out of an action film when a deranged passenger attempted to pry open an emergency exit door thousands of feet in the air, claiming he just wanted to “get off the plane,” before trying to force his way into the cockpit and choking an off-duty flight attendant.
The incident took place Sunday night on Frontier Airlines Flight 3345, which had departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, bound for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
About 45 minutes into the flight, 51-year-old Juan Gabriel Reyes of Pahokee, Florida, began acting erratically, according to an arrest affidavit from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and a federal criminal complaint, the New York Post reports.
Flight attendants and passengers spotted Reyes trying to open one of the aircraft’s emergency exit doors mid-flight.
When crew members ordered him to sit down and stop, he ignored them completely, rushed toward the front of the plane, and began shoving his shoulder aggressively against the cockpit door in an attempt to break in.
An off-duty flight attendant seated nearby volunteered to help keep the passenger under control, but when he briefly left to use the bathroom, the unhinged passenger allegedly snatched at his bag, grabbed him by the head, and began choking him.
That’s when a hero passenger stepped in.
Josh Longood, a Chicago-area former professional MMA fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt instructor who happened to be wearing a Jiu-Jitsu shirt, instantly jumped into action, using flex ties, seatbelts, and his fighting skills to restrain Reyes against the wall and tie him up in his seat for the remainder of the flight.
Cellphone video posted to social media captured the scene as Longood and multiple passengers held Reyes down while the plane was diverted for an emergency landing at Miami International Airport.
WATCH:
WATCH: Passengers restrain a man onboard a Frontier Airlines flight to Chicago’s O’Hare on Sunday after he reportedly tried to open an emergency exit door in an attempt to jump off the plane mid-flight.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Frontier Airlines flight… pic.twitter.com/g3QBearixJ
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 2, 2026
“He was just talking and acting crazy,” Longood told the Mansfield News Journal. “I could tell he wasn’t going to calm down, so I just kept an eye on him because there were females and young kids around.”
“I immediately responded and safely positioned him to where he couldn’t hurt anyone,” Longood said of the moment things hit the fan. “I’m just thankful I was seated close to him, so I was able to resolve the situation without anyone getting injured. It was my years of BJJ training that helped me stay calm and handle the situation.”
“I’m confident in my training and abilities to handle real-life situations like these,” he added.
The flight touched down safely around 11:55 p.m. local time.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies boarded the aircraft and arrested Reyes on a misdemeanor charge of battery.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
