passenger-jumps-out-of-plane-while-its-taxiing

Passenger Jumps Out of Plane While It’s Taxiing

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight saw a galley door open, and a passenger jumped out as the plane taxied after landing Saturday morning.

According to his mother, Daniel Ramirez then ran to an airport fire station and locked himself inside because the man thought someone was chasing him.

Flight 4236 arrived at 8 a.m. in Phoenix after starting its trip from Colorado Springs, Colorado. A Southwest spokesperson said the pilots notified the control tower so that the authorities could handle the situation. 

The Daily Mail said the plane went to its scheduled gate without further incident.

Mom: Man Has Schizophrenia In Family History

Airport authorities did not reveal while the 30-year-old left the plane, but his mother asked the public to reserve their judgment about her son. 

The man’s family said they hoped he would get a mental evaluation with his family history of schizophrenia.

Theresa Padilla said her son was a kind and loving man despite his mental health problems.

After leaving the plane, Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson and fire captain Todd Keller said Ramirez entered a fire station, walked into a dorm room, and locked himself inside the building.

After unlocking the door, firefighters evaluated Ramirez and treated him for a leg injury before taking him to the hospital.

Officials booked the California passenger for two felony counts of trespassing.

Mom Wants California Son Home

Ramirez’s family had concern for him before he left Colorado for Phoenix. The man’s plane was making a layover stop in Arizona before coming home to California.

The mother talked with her son by video call before he boarded the plane and told ABC15 that she knew he was having some problem.

Padilla said her son went to Colorado for a tiling job but cut the trip short because he feared for his life. The woman said they started talking when she learned about her son’s paranoid episodes.

Emily Luevano, Ramirez’s sister-in-law, said she was on a seven-hour phone call with the man. Ramirez told the family about threats he felt he was getting. The family tried to comfort the man, telling him they wouldn’t leave him alone.

Padilla said she hopes to have her son back in California soon and get him some immediate mental help.

According to HITC, the family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funds, with a goal of $8,000. 

Airplanes See High Number Of Violent Incidents

Being in a closed environment has brought the worst out in passengers lately.

Since January 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 2,500 reports of wild behavior by passengers. Many incidents have come as travelers refuse to comply with the federal mask mandate. 

Flight attendants have also suffered in these incidents despite fines and jail time. One Southwest Airlines flight attendant recently lost two teeth during a passenger assault.