Chicago Man Charged After Trying to Open Exit and Cockpit Doors Mid-Flight

A Chicago man made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday after he allegedly tried to open an emergency exit door and the flight deck door while a commercial flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago was airborne, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The incident affected all passengers and crew aboard the flight, which diverted to Miami International Airport. The Justice Department did not release the exact number of people on board or the airline involved.

The charges shift the case from an inflight security response to a federal criminal prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The defendant faces charges that include interference with flight crew members and attendants under 49 U.S.C. § 46504 and attempted damage to an aircraft under 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(8), statutes that carry potential prison time upon conviction.

Downstream, prosecutors must now disclose evidence to the defense, the airline must preserve cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder information, and any passengers who witnessed the events will receive subpoenas. The Transportation Security Administration will review its screening procedures at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan as part of the broader federal investigation.

Sentencing, if the defendant is convicted, will be set according to federal guidelines that treat attempted opening of aircraft doors as a serious threat to aviation security.

This is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions for disruptive behavior on commercial flights. The Federal Aviation Administration has referred dozens of similar cases to the Justice Department since 2021, resulting in charges that range from simple assault to attempted aircraft sabotage.

The Justice Department release marks the formal opening of the criminal case against the named defendant.