HAMILTON, Bermuda, Jul 10 2015 – Passengers onboard JetBlue’s Flight 1261 from New York to Barbados this morning are breathing a sigh of relief after a frightening experience inflight when a male passenger started behaving erratically.
The pilot was forced to divert the aircraft to Bermuda and the passenger, said to be in his 20’s, was eventually restrained and carried off on a gurney. The plane eventually landed in Barbados at seven minutes to five this evening, with passengers thanking God for a safe arrival.
“There was a kid [whom] I think was having a nervous breakdown and he was trying to get off the plane,” said a passenger, who chose to remain anonymous.
“We had to subdue him, then they diverted the plane to Bermuda, and they gave him medical attention. I was kind of confused as to what was going on, so once I figured out what was going on, it was all good.”
Daniel Smith, a Barbadian who was returning home for a summer vacation, was one who helped out. He recounted his experience and said he was glad to have assisted.
“I went to the bathroom and then I saw a guy who was crawling on the ground at rapid speed. Then, one of the stewards was like, ‘we need you to stay and restrain him from getting into the cockpit’ so it was like me and three other people,” Smith said.
“I held his upper body, his shoulders, neck and his arms. Then, one other guy held his arms and then someone held his legs and we restrained him. He had to go to Bermuda, police came on board, and then afterwards everybody was thanking me and thanking everybody that helped.”
“I didn’t feel like alarmed or startled. I could tell [that] he was more like insane in some form or fashion rather than dangerous, so I wasn’t really panicked,” Smith said, while joking that he hoped he received a free ticket for his bravery.
Jessica Golian, visiting the island for vacation, praised the flight crew for their good work.
“The flight attendants, the captain and the crew, everybody was very amazing, really calm. Everybody on the plane was really patient. I wasn’t scared, I felt bad for him, cause you could tell that he clearly had mental issues and didn’t take his medication.”
General Manager of Jet Blue, Terry Layne said the displaced passengers on the outgoing flight that was scheduled to leave at 6 p.m. tonight were being accommodated. (Barbados TODAY)
