Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union

MAY 3, 2023

SAN FRANSICO - A violent and unhinged passenger had to be restrained on a midnight flight after violently attacking a flight attendant and opening an emergency exit. 

Naya Jimenez caught the incident on cellphone video as her flight was preparing to leave San Francisco on its way to Houston around midnight on May 1.

Jiminez said she got on the plane and saw someone in her seat. She told the woman to move, but a man seated beside her became enraged. Police later determined that the woman was the wife of the attacker. 

The assault was covered by ABC 7 in San Francisco, who interviewed Jiminez after the attack. 

According to the report, the man exploded in rage when gate agents tried to calm him. Then, he charged to the front of the plane.

"After he paused for a minute, he ran toward where the pilot was, where the emergency exit doors are, and attempted to open it," Jiminez told Eyewitness News. "(He) successfully opened the emergency exit and was about to jump down," she said, "The plane is elevated, so he would have jumped apparently two stories to the ground, and the flight attendants just kicked in, and everybody pulled him back to safety."

Video of the attack can be found HERE, via ABC 7.

Related