A flight from Boston Logan International Airport took an unexpected turn before it even left the ground Tuesday night when a passenger opened an emergency door, causing the inflatable evacuation slide to burst out while the plane was taxiing.
The incident, triggered by an alleged personal dispute with the man's girlfriend, stunned passengers and delayed the flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He "opened an aircraft door suddenly and without warning," Massachusetts State Police told NBC10 Boston in a statement, adding that he "wanted to deplane." A Massport spokeswoman confirmed no one was hurt. The individual remained onboard until police detained him around 7:25 p.m.
Fellow passenger Fred Wynn, seated nearby, described the moments leading up to the incident.
"They were arguing...boyfriend and girlfriend," Wynn recalled in a video shared online. "I guess the boyfriend wanted to see the girlfriend's phone, and she wouldn't let him."
Wynn said the man dashed down the aisle and threw open the emergency door.
JetBlue confirmed with NBC10 Boston that the passenger's actions delayed Flight 161 but said it was working to resume operations quickly.
The individual opened the exit door "for unknown reasons," the airline said in a statement, declining to comment further on the man's motives.
The suspect will be arraigned Wednesday in East Boston District Court on charges tied to the disruption. Authorities are withholding the individual's identity pending finalized charges.
Originally published on Latin Times
