Frontier flight diverted to Miami after passenger assault

A Frontier Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago was diverted to Miami on Sunday night after a passenger became disruptive, attempted to open an emergency exit door, and later assaulted an off-duty flight attendant. The man, identified by authorities as 51-year-old Juan Gabriel Reyes of Pahokee, Florida, was arrested upon landing.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the incident began about 45 minutes after Frontier Flight 3345 departed San Juan for Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Reyes stated he wanted to get off the plane and attempted to open an emergency exit door while the aircraft was still in flight, ignoring commands from flight attendants to return to his seat. He then moved toward the front of the aircraft and aggressively shoved his shoulder against the cockpit door in an attempt to gain entry.

After being escorted away from the cockpit, Reyes attempted to urinate on the bathroom floor, the affidavit states. Crew members relocated him to a new seat, and an off-duty flight attendant volunteered to sit in his row. When that off-duty attendant later got up to use the restroom, Reyes allegedly tried to grab the man’s bag....