Chicago-bound flight diverted to Miami when passenger tries to open door mid-flight

A Frontier Airlines flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago O’Hare International Airport Sunday was diverted to Miami when a passenger tried to open the door mid-flight.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said Frontier Airlines Flight 3345 was in the air en route from San Juan to Chicago when there was a “passenger disturbance” reported by the crew.

The FAA said the flight landed safely at Miami International Airport around 11:55 p.m. ET.

In a statement, Frontier confirmed a passenger “became disruptive” before the fight was diverted.

“Law enforcement boarded the aircraft in Miami and removed the passenger and the flight subsequently continued on to Chicago a few hours later,” the statement concluded.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said flight attendants and other passengers on the plane told them the man tried to open the exit doors while in flight, saying he wanted to get off the plane. Flight attendants tried to stop him and told him to sit down, but he ignored them and instead went to the front of the plane, where police said he tried to get into the pilot’s cabin.

Flight attendants tried multiple times to get him back to his seat, police said, then took him to a different seat and an off-duty flight attendant volunteered to sit in his row on the aisle. When the off-duty attendant got up to use the bathroom, police said the man tried to grab his bag. When he was told not to touch the off-duty attendant’s belongings, police said they were told the man then attacked the off-duty flight attendant, trying to choke him, as other passengers restrained him.

Eventually, police said flight attendants and passengers were able to restrain the man. The flight was diverted to Miami, where he was arrested.

The FBI also interviewed the man after his arrest, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has charged him with one misdemeanor count of battery.