Encountering a heavily intoxicated passenger on a flight is usually enough to keep some on their toes, but facing a razor-blade-waving drunk passenger is a whole different feeling altogether. While it seems unbelievable, it certainly happened to passengers onboard a JetBlue flight on Monday, where one passenger was held hostage while the others were terrorized.

Threatening with a weapon

The flight in question was JetBlue flight B6 871, a regularly scheduled domestic flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport. On November 21st, B6 871 was operated using a 16-year-old Airbus A320-200 registered N630JB, and the flight departed from New York at approximately 11:41.

Approximately two hours before landing in Salt Lake City, passengers heard a commotion on the Airbus narrowbody, and as they piqued their curiosity to see what was happening, they were shocked to see a female passenger being taken hostage by another male passenger. The male passenger appeared agitated and held a straight-edge razor up the hostage's throat, threatening the cabin crew and other passengers:

"Don't worry, she's going to be fine. This isn't any 9/11 type of situation. Just land the plane, and everyone will be fine."

The unruly passenger had also allegedly laid some vulgarities on the hostage's husband, who had tried to calm the man down, but to no avail. Fortunately, the hostage managed to break free from her captor and escaped. She was reunited with her husband in a different part of the aircraft, allegedly unhurt. The cabin crew and other passengers then worked to de-escalate the situation once again.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying!

Arrested in Salt Lake City

Eventually, the aggravated male passenger let go of his razor, which was revealed to be a wood-handled straight-edge razor with a short blade. Still, passengers were afraid to sit near him, except for a Good Samaritan passenger who decided to keep an eye on him for the remainder of the flight.

Once B6 871 landed at Salt Lake City at approximately 14:12, local police officials boarded the parked aircraft, detained the suspect, and secured his weapon. With the suspect arrested, the remaining passengers and crew on B6 871 could finally breathe a sigh of relief, although the experience will certainly be traumatic for many.

JetBlue also confirmed the incident and praised its crew members by saying:

"On Monday, JetBlue flight 871 had a customer onboard that began acting erratically and threatening toward other customers near the end of the flight. Crewmembers responded by working to de-escalate the situation and notified law enforcement, who met the flight in Salt Lake City. The safety of our customers and crewmembers is JetBlue’s first priority, and we will support law enforcement during their investigation."

Facing federal charges

Upon further investigation, it was found that the suspect had become heavily intoxicated during the flight and was sitting at the window seat next to his eventual hostage and her husband. The hostage situation began when the suspect placed his hand in front of her screen and told her to pause her movie.

Confused and unable to hear his initial command due to her headphones, the hostage removed them and only then realized that the suspect was holding a weapon-like object just inches from her throat. Her husband saw what was happening and immediately moved to the front of the aircraft to seek assistance from the cabin crew.

At the same time, she tried to move toward the aisle to escape, but to no avail, as the suspect stopped her by grabbing her shoulder, and the situation unfolded as he started shouting. Given the carrying and using of the razor blade, the suspect was handed federal charges on Wednesday, November 23rd. The case is also being further investigated by Salt Lake City Police Department and an FBI Task Force Officer, specifically into how the suspect managed to carry the razor blade onboard the flight.

Source: KSLTV

• 

  JetBlue

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  B6/JBA

  Hub(s):

  Boston Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, New York JFK Airport, Orlando International Airport

  Year Founded:

  2000

  CEO:

  Robin Hayes

  Country:

  United States