Chaos erupted aboard a JetBlue flight at Boston Logan International Airport after a passenger suddenly opened an emergency exit door during taxiing. The individual, identified as Angel Luis Torres Morales of Puerto Rico, was quickly restrained by fellow passengers, according to authorities.
The incident occurred around 7:30 pm on JetBlue flight 161, which was bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Tim McGuirk said that Torres Morales opened the overwing exit door “suddenly and without warning,” causing the emergency slide to deploy. The airline confirmed in a statement that the flight was delayed but eventually resumed on a different aircraft.
Passengers on board described a tense scene. Fred Wynn, a fellow traveler, recounted to WCVB-TV that Torres Morales had been arguing with his girlfriend over a cellphone moments before the incident. “I guess the boyfriend wanted to see the girlfriend’s phone, and she wouldn’t let him see. Then he got up, ran down the center aisle, and grabbed the emergency door,” Wynn explained in a video he recorded during the flight.
Wynn added that passengers began shouting in alarm. “They were like freaking out,” he said. “They were like, ‘Stop, stop!’”
Torres Morales was brought to the Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday in the East Boston division, facing charges of interfering with the operations of an aircraft. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court again on March 4.
