MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man after witnesses said he tried to force his way onto a plane at Miami International Airport.
The incident occurred on American Airlines flight 1060 that was set to depart to Newark, New Jersey at 6:50 a.m., Monday.
A witness on board the plane said the passengers were scared as they waited for security to respond. He said the plane was ready to depart when the man ran in yelling.
“We were actually all on the plane, and this guy comes running onto the plane,” witness Ari Teman said. “American Airlines tweeted that he was a ticketed passenger, but he just stormed past the gate. He was screaming, ‘It’s my plane,’ and he’s with the FBI. He wasn’t responsive.”
“Come on, guys! What time is it? We’re going to Newark, New Jersey, 6:50,” said the man on cellphone video posted to one passenger’s social media account.
Passengers in first class stopped him until authorities came and removed the man from the aircraft.
“Business-class passengers all kinda stood up and blocked him from coming onto the rest of the flight,” Teman said. “They get him off, but then the pilot or the captain gets on, and he goes, ‘We think this guy was a decoy, so we’re going to deplane, and we’re going to search the plane and all the bags and all the passengers, and I was like, ‘All right. That’s it for the day.'”
Cellphone video shows the man resisting as officers handcuffed him at the gate.
American Airlines released the following statement on the incident:
“During the boarding process of American Airlines flight 1060 from Miami to Newark, a ticketed passenger for that flight ran on the jetbridge, bypassing the gate agent. Law enforcement was summoned, who removed the passenger.”
Airline officials did not confirm if the captain said the man was a decoy and if so, what it meant.
Teman said after the incident, he decided to ditch his plans and drive home instead.
“Just a few too many things that individually might give you pause and together seem very sketchy,” Teman said.
The other passengers soon boarded and departed on their delayed flight.
Miami-Dade Police said the man was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act.
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