Photo: Renata Ty / Shutterstock An unusual drama occurred on a commercial flight en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago, after a 51-year-old passenger from Chicago, Juan Gabriel Reyes, allegedly tried to open an emergency door and the cockpit door while the plane was in the air.
According to US federal court documents, Rice began behaving erratically during the flight and disobeyed the flight crew's instructions. At one point, he allegedly tried to open one of the plane's emergency doors and later the cockpit door.
It was also alleged that during the incident, another passenger attacked. The flight crew and other passengers were able to control him and restrain him until the plane landed.
Following the incident, the flight crew decided to divert the plane to an emergency landing in Miami, Florida, where law enforcement was waiting for him and he was arrested immediately upon landing.
Rice made his first appearance in federal court in Miami on charges of obstructing a flight crew and assault within federal jurisdiction. The main offense carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, plus up to a year in prison for the assault offense, according to the indictment.
The investigation into the case is being conducted by the FBI in Miami with the assistance of the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement authorities emphasized that the indictment is only an allegation at this stage, and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
The current case joins a series of unusual incidents that have occurred in recent years on commercial flights around the world, in which passengers went wild, tried to open aircraft doors or approach the cockpit. Such incidents are considered particularly serious and are treated harshly by law enforcement authorities and airlines, due to the potential risk to the safety of passengers and crew.