‘Absolutely terrified.’ Man punches plane window until passengers restrain him, feds say
A 31-year-old man was arrested after prosecutors say he started punching a window in the middle of a flight.
The man, who is a Cuban national, was taken into custody on unrelated charges, according to a Feb. 28 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. He was later charged with damaging an aircraft, according to court records.
On Feb. 4, the man was on a Frontier flight from Denver to Houston. About 30 minutes into the flight, the man started punching the seat in front of him, prosecutors said.
When the man was approached by crew members, he started punching the window in his row, according to prosecutors.
The flight crew asked for help from passengers and several people stepped in and restrained the man face down in the aisle, according to a criminal complaint.
“I just thought we are not having another 9-11. Like, this is not going to happen, and I was just so thankful that my husband and the other men jumped in immediately, so he didn’t break the second panel of the window. We were using shoestrings and belts, headphones, just to get him restrained,” one passenger, Jessica Brown, told KRIV.
The passengers were given flex cuffs to place on the man, the complaint said. Then the man was placed in a seat and surrounded by the responding passengers for the rest of the flight.
“I was absolutely terrified. My anxiety was really bad. Me and my mom were shaking the whole time, and we were praying the whole time. I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was really scary,” Chloe Starcevic, a 13-year-old passenger, told KRIV.
Frontier Airlines declined McClatchy News’ request for comment March 2.
If convicted, the man faces up to 20 years in prison.
This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 11:26 AM.
