A Frontier Airlines flight en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago-O’Hare International Airport was forced to divert to Miami International Airport after a passenger, identified as Juan Gabriel Reyes, 51, became disruptive. The incident occurred on Sunday, approximately 45 minutes into the flight.

According to police records, Reyes attempted to open an emergency exit door and later tried to enter the cockpit by aggressively shoving his shoulder against the pilot’s door. An off-duty flight attendant, who volunteered to sit near Reyes, was choked by him after attempting to prevent Reyes from taking his belongings.

Several passengers, alongside on-duty flight attendants, managed to restrain Reyes using flex cuffs and seatbelt extenders, although he broke free multiple times. The flight landed safely in Miami at around 11:55 p.m. local time, where Reyes was taken into custody by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and later handed over to the FBI for questioning.

Reyes faces charges of interference with flight crew members and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. The flight resumed its journey to Chicago after the incident was resolved.

This event is part of a concerning trend, as the Federal Aviation Administration has reported 687 incidents of unruly passengers this year alone. A similar incident occurred recently when a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis had to divert due to a passenger’s attempts to breach the cockpit.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.