In yet another episode in the seemingly endless saga of unruly passengers acting out on planes, a man has been arrested for opening an aircraft’s emergency exit and sliding down the wing.
According to the New York Post, the incident took place on board United Airlines flight 2478, which was traveling from San Diego to Chicago. The plane had just landed at O’Hare International Airport around 4:30 Thursday morning. It was in the process of taxiing to the gate when the impatient passenger removed the door of the emergency exit and proceeded to slide down onto the wing.
Though there was an emergency exit near the man’s seat, he is said to have climbed over four other passengers in order to reach the emergency exit on the opposite side of the plane. Maryellen Eagelston, a passenger who had been traveling on the flight, spoke with Chicago’s WGN 9 News to detail what she witnessed.
“He crawled over one person and then three people on the other side and went out that door,” said Eagelston. “I think everybody on the plane was just surprised and kind of shocked as he was going out.”
“I heard everybody yelling, ‘No, no, no’ and he just went out the exit door and onto the wing…Even the stewardesses came back and said, ‘What just happened?’”
The man was arrested by the Chicago Police. The police department is currently unable to release additional information about the man, as charges are still pending.
However, Kellie Bartoli, a spokesperson for the police, said, “A male subject was onboard a plane that was approaching the gate when he pulled the emergency exit and walked out onto the wing of the plane. The subject then slid down the wing and onto the airfield. CPD arrived and placed him into custody.”
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