Frontier Flight 3345 diverted to Miami after a midair disturbance on a San Juan-to-Chicago route.
MIAMI, FL — A Frontier Airlines flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago was diverted Sunday after authorities said a passenger tried to open an emergency exit door, reach the cockpit and choke an off-duty flight attendant.
The incident turned Flight 3345 into the latest serious case of unruly conduct aboard a U.S. airliner. The plane landed safely at Miami International Airport around 11:55 p.m., and deputies removed 51-year-old Juan Gabriel Reyes of Pahokee, Florida. Court and police records cited in local reports say Reyes now faces federal charges tied to interference with flight crew members and an assault charge, along with a local battery case.
The disturbance began about 45 minutes after the flight left San Juan for Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to records described by authorities. Reyes said he wanted to get off the aircraft and tried to open an emergency exit door while the plane was in flight. Flight attendants told him to return to his seat, but officials said he did not follow those commands. After he was stopped near the exit, Reyes moved toward the front of the aircraft and began pushing his shoulder against the cockpit door. Passengers and crew later described a tense scene as flight attendants tried to move him away from the pilots’ door and back into the cabin.
Authorities said the confrontation continued after Reyes was escorted toward the rear of the plane. He was allowed to use the restroom, then was moved to another seat. An off-duty Frontier flight attendant volunteered to sit near him to help keep the situation under control. Records say the off-duty crew member moved his belongings, and Reyes later tried to grab the man’s bag from the floor. When the flight attendant objected and moved across the aisle, Reyes climbed on top of him and grabbed his head, choking him, according to the federal complaint described in local reports. Several passengers and on-duty flight attendants then moved in to pull Reyes away.
Passengers helped restrain Reyes with flex cuffs and seat belt extenders, records say. Officials said he broke free from the restraints several times before passengers and crew were able to hold him down. Josh Longood of Chicago, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, was among the passengers who helped restrain him. Longood said Reyes was fighting to free his arms, but that he believed he could control the situation without anyone being hurt. Video from inside the cabin showed passengers clustered around a row as they worked to keep Reyes restrained until the aircraft reached Miami.
Frontier Airlines said law enforcement boarded the aircraft in Miami and removed the passenger. The airline said the flight continued to Chicago a few hours later. The Federal Aviation Administration described the event as a passenger disturbance and said the plane landed safely. The FAA tracks unruly passenger cases reported by airline crews and says interfering with crew duties violates federal law. The agency has said the rate of unruly passenger incidents dropped sharply from record highs in early 2021, though recent increases show the problem has not gone away.
Reyes was taken into custody by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office after the plane landed, then was turned over to the FBI for questioning, according to records described in local reports. Miami-area authorities said Reyes was charged with battery and held on a $20,000 bond. Federal court records cited by local media list charges of interference with flight crew members and attendants and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. It was not immediately clear whether Reyes had made an initial federal court appearance or whether he had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
The diversion came days after another Chicago-area flight was forced to land early because of a cockpit-related disturbance. In that case, a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, after a passenger allegedly made repeated attempts to breach the cockpit. No injuries were reported in that incident. Aviation officials and legal experts have said cockpit threats draw fast law enforcement attention because pilots, flight attendants and passengers have little room to manage a violent or disruptive person once an aircraft is airborne.
Passengers on the Frontier flight described a cabin that shifted quickly from routine travel to alarm as the crew tried to contain the disturbance. Longood said he was close enough to act when the struggle began. “He was just trying to push back and fight back and try to get his arms free,” Longood said. He said he helped lay Reyes across the row and keep him restrained as the pilots diverted. The off-duty flight attendant who was choked was not publicly identified in the initial reports, and officials did not release a full injury report.
The aircraft reached Miami safely, and Flight 3345 later continued to Chicago. The next step in the case is expected in court, where prosecutors will move forward on the charges listed in local and federal records.
Author note: Last updated June 3, 2026.