Moment frantic cabin crew try to put out fire on JetBlue plane after American Idol star Jimmy Levy’s backpack ‘exploded’ and burst into flames at JFK airport
- Jimmy Levy captured the chaos as the flight crew poured water on his backpack
- Investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a portable charger
This is the terrifying moment panicked cabin crew tried to put out a fire on a JetBlue plane after American Idol star Jimmy Levy’s backpack ‘exploded’ and caught fire at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Footage shows the crew desperately pouring water into a smoldering bag under a seat, while frightened passengers were heard saying “Oh my God” in the background as the plane waited to depart from New York on October 30.
Musical artist and former American Idol star Levy, 25, captured the moment after waking up in the intense heat and described how he immediately noticed his bag had caught fire.
The video shows cabin crew members dousing the heated bag with water to cool it.
Mr Levy said: ‘I thought someone was trying to attack me because I am a well-known political figure and musician, but upon investigation it turned out to be an overheated portable charger in my backpack.’
Former American Idol star Jimmy Levy captured the moment airline crew rushed to extinguish a fire that started in his backpack
The clip captures the chaos of the event that caused the JetBlue plane to be evacuated
The musician (pictured in the 2020 season of American Idol) described how he ‘thought someone was trying to attack me’
The bag had unexpectedly imploded under a passenger seat. After removing the hazard and following an investigation, the cause of the fire was found to be an overheated portable charger.
The 2020 American Idol contestant then proceeded to desperately stomp on the fire in an attempt to help put out the blaze before the flight attendants arrived.
The incident took place on board a JetBlue flight, an American low-cost airline, that was scheduled to depart from New York to South Florida.
The singer from Miami, Florida, who has over a million followers on Instagram and over 120,000 listeners on Spotify, labeled the experience as “one of the scariest moments of my life.”
He added: ‘I was woken up by a sudden and terrifying wave of heat that seemingly shot towards my face.
Cabin crew used bottled water on board the aircraft in their attempt to extinguish the fire
There is audible chaos in the background of the video, coming from both the crew and other passengers
The heat from the flames had woken Mr. Levy before the plane took off from JFK airport
“I immediately opened my eyes and saw my backpack, which was initially under my seat, now in a floating fireball,” he continued.
‘I pushed it to the ground and started stomping on it frantically to stop the fire from spreading.
‘With the help of the flight crew and water, the fire was brought under control. But due to the severity of the situation, everyone was forced to evacuate the aircraft for a thorough investigation.”
A statement from the airline reads: “On Monday, October 30, scheduled JetBlue Flight 1401 from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) was evacuated while at the gate before to take off. due to a customer’s defective electronic device or battery.
“Our crew responded immediately and addressed the situation, and there were no calls for medical assistance.
“Safety is our first priority and we are investigating the incident.”
One person on the plane said, “I can still see smoke” as the bag became soaked
Mr Levy said he had not used the portable charger believed to have caused the fire
A statement from JetBlue read: “Safety is our first priority and we are investigating the incident.”