A 17-year-old teenage boy has been arrested at the San Francisco International Airport. This was after he jumped out of the emergency door of a Boeing 737, shortly after it landed in San Francisco. This incident took place at 2.30PM on Tuesday, August 2, 2017, Los Angeles Times reported.
What happened?
Shortly after Copa Airlines Flight 208 from Panama City landed in San Francisco, an unidentified passenger rushed for the emergency door situated in the middle of the aircraft and jumped out of the plane. He acted too quickly to be stopped. After opening the emergency door, he slid down the wing and finally jumped down onto the tarmac.
The other passengers were both surprised and concerned and began shouting and calling for the air hostesses.
The boy began running away from the plane, only to be stopped by an airfield construction crew who happened to be working nearby. The crew detained him until the police arrived. There are several stories about what happened aboard the plane, following this incident. Copa Airlines released a public statement saying that the crew members simply closed the door and the plane then taxied to its gate. One passenger, Isaac Rodrigues, however, said that the door had come completely off and that a crew member had to block the entrance with her body. Either way, all the passengers, crew members, and the boy are safe and unharmed.
Eyewitness Statements
Airport spokesperson, Doug Yakel, has said that the boy was flying unaccompanied, from Panama City to San Francisco. Several sources have said that the boy appeared to be anxious and was rather fidgety during the flight, according to KNTV.
It appeared as though he was experiencing some sort of emotional distress.
Sophia Gibson, one of the passengers told the press how surprised everyone on board was. She said that it all happened really quickly before anyone could realize what was going on. She added, "It was as if he was, like flying out. It was really fast." Another passenger, Sebastian Tamarelle told press, "Just a standard landing and then everyone started noticing that I was sitting behind the middle emergency exit door, only the door had come off."
Copa Airlines has since told the press in a statement, that the boy is unharmed and that he has been taken into custody by the relevant legal authorities.
An investigation is currently being conducted by Customs and Border Protection and at present, there is no information about the boy's reasons for his actions. The boy has also been admitted a hospital so that a psychiatric evaluation can be performed. The airport and runways were unaffected by this event.
