Southwest Airlines passenger is taken to hospital for evaluation after opening emergency exit, jumping out of the plane, running across the tarmac and trying to hijack a service truck at New Orleans airport
- An unidentified 38-year-old man escaped from a plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- The incident happened on Sunday evening while the plane was stationary
- He was sent to a hospital for evaluation and has not been arrested
This is the bizarre moment a Southwest Airlines passenger escaped from a stalled plane by opening the emergency hatch and running across the tarmac.
After the passenger jumped from the plane, he hoped on the plane’s wing and then sprinted across the tarmac and attempted to hijack an airport service truck.
The incident happened Sunday evening at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner on Concourse B.
The 38-year-old man was taken to a hospital for evaluation and authorities say “officers believed he was suffering from a mental health emergency.”
The man has not been named by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, but he is believed to be an Atlanta resident.
The unidentified man was arrested Sunday evening at a New Orleans-area airport after he bizarrely tried to escape from a plane’s emergency hatch
The plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was scheduled to depart for Atlanta before reaching its final destination of Baltimore. The incident occurred while the plane was parked at a terminal and still fully preparing for takeoff.
The video begins with all the passengers frantically disembarking from the plane, some still sitting in their seats stunned by the series of events.
“He just got away,” said a passenger.
Another says: ‘He ran away!’
Everyone then goes to pack their things as quickly as possible before they all push to the front of the plane to leave the plane.
“Go ahead, go ahead,” someone says.
Everyone on board then walks back to the airport and remains at the gate while the man is chased on the tarmac.
He is then apprehended by several employees before authorities intervene.
In the video (left), passengers can be seen panicking. All passengers had to quickly leave the plane and return to the gate at the airport (right)
The man was not arrested and his name has not been released, but authorities said he is 38 years old and believed to be from Atlanta.
The Southwest flight was scheduled to depart for Atlanta before reaching its final destination of Baltimore
It is unclear what caused the passenger to open the emergency door and escape.
“When officers made contact with the man, they found him to be incoherent and not fully aware of his surroundings,” police said.
Authorities also said there was “no indication” the man left anything on the plane and that no weapons were found on him.
Officials said he is not expected to face any criminal charges locally, but the investigation has now been referred to federal authorities.
No one was injured, but the flight was canceled due to the incident.
“We commend our flight and ground crew for their quick action and apologize to our customers for any inconvenience,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement. NBC News.
The man is currently still in hospital.