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MMA fighter prevents tragedy by subduing aggressive passenger on plane
🇵🇦 Panama /Crime & Justice

MMA fighter prevents tragedy by subduing aggressive passenger on plane

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • An aggressive passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight from San Juan to Chicago attempted to open an emergency exit door mid-flight.
  • The passenger, identified as Juan Reyes, also tried to enter the cockpit and assaulted a flight attendant.
  • A former MMA fighter, John Longood, subdued the disruptive passenger until the plane made an emergency landing in Miami.

A flight bound for Chicago from San Juan, Puerto Rico, experienced extreme tension when a passenger attempted to open an emergency exit door while in mid-air.

The incident occurred on Frontier Airlines flight 3345 on Sunday night. According to U.S. aviation authorities, the crew reported a severe disturbance caused by a passenger, leading to an emergency landing in Miami. The passenger, identified as 51-year-old Juan Reyes, reportedly shouted that he wanted to exit the aircraft, causing alarm among passengers and crew.

Nobody got hurt. I felt it was my duty to do so.

— John LongoodDescribing his decision to intervene during the mid-flight disturbance.

Reports indicate Reyes also attempted to access the cockpit and exhibited other disruptive behaviors. He allegedly assaulted an off-duty flight attendant who tried to intervene, leading to a struggle that required other passengers to help restrain him. Amidst the chaos, John Longood, a professional ex-MMA fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, intervened.

Leveraging his expertise in physical control techniques, Longood successfully subdued Reyes, immobilizing him until the aircraft landed safely in Miami. Longood later described the maneuver, stating, "I held him and immobilized him as safely as possible, took him to his row and controlled him hand and foot." The flight continued to Chicago after the diversion, with no serious injuries reported among passengers or crew. The incident has reignited concerns about the rise of unruly passengers on commercial flights.

I held him and immobilized him as safely as possible, took him to his row and controlled him hand and foot.

— John LongoodExplaining the specific technique he used to subdue the aggressive passenger.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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