A Mansfield native was flying to Chicago when he jumped into action to restrain an unruly passenger who attempted to open an emergency exit door.Mansfield native Josh Longood was heading home to Chicago from his brother’s bachelor’s party in Puerto Rico May 31 when another passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to open an emergency exit door on the Frontier flight.https://www.instagram.com/longood135/ (Image: Instagram)
A former MMA fighter has revealed how he stepped in to save the day after a fellow passenger allegedly attempted to open an emergency exit door mid-flight.
Josh Longood was travelling home to Chicago following his brother’s bachelor party in Puerto Rico on 31 May when another passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and tried to force open the emergency exit door aboard the Frontier aircraft.
The 37 year old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt swiftly leapt into action, deploying his martial arts expertise to subdue the man for approximately 10 minutes — before being called upon a second time after the passenger broke free from his restraints. Josh kept him under control for a further 20 to 30 minutes until the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami.
A medical device salesman by profession, he is a competitive BJJ black belt and former MMA fighter — making him precisely the right person to intervene. He recounted how, as a light sleeper, he quickly became aware of the unfolding situation just a few rows ahead of him.
He first noticed the other passenger behaving erratically. “He was just talking and acting crazy,” he said. “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.”, reports the Mirror.
A Mansfield native was flying to Chicago when he jumped into action to restrain an unruly passenger who attempted to open an emergency exit door.Mansfield native Josh Longood was heading home to Chicago from his brother’s bachelor’s party in Puerto Rico May 31 when another passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to open an emergency exit door on the Frontier flight.https://www.instagram.com/longood135/ (Image: Instagram)
Josh claimed the trouble erupted when someone went to retrieve a bag situated beside the man, at which point he allegedly launched his attack. “I immediately responded and safely positioned him to where he couldn’t hurt anyone,” he said. “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.”
He added that he would not hesitate to act again if the situation demanded it. “I’m confident in my training and abilities to handle real-life situations like these,” he said.
A Frontier spokeswoman confirmed an incident had taken place aboard Flight 3345 to Chicago, which was forced to divert owing to a disruptive passenger.
She told The Mirror: “On Sunday, May 31, a passenger on flight 3345 from San Juan to Chicago O’Hare became disruptive and the flight was diverted to Miami. Law enforcement boarded the aircraft in Miami and removed the passenger and the flight subsequently continued on to Chicago a few hours later.”
Last month, a United Airlines flight was compelled to divert following a mid-air emergency after a passenger allegedly attempted to open a door.
There were 145 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft, bound from Newark Liberty International Airport to Guatemala City, when the pilot took the decision to divert due to an unruly passenger.
Officers met Flight 1551 as the Boeing 737-8 MAX touched down safely at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
It is physically impossible for a passenger to open a commercial aircraft door at cruising altitude due to mechanical locks and atmospheric pressure. Contemporary commercial aircraft are engineered with “plug-type” doors, meaning the door is physically larger than the opening frame it slots into, rather like a bath plug. To open the door, it must first be pulled slightly inwards before it can be turned or pushed outwards, and this would be impossible due to the cabin pressure.