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On Monday, November 21, a JetBlue passenger allegedly threatened a woman with a razor blade during a flight from NYC, New York, to Salt Lake City, Utah. A video of the incident, captured by a fellow JetBlue passenger, depicts the suspect's subsequent arrest.
In the footage, the accused, seen in a baseball cap and jacket over a hooded sweatshirt, can be seen being led down the aisle by police officers. The incident reportedly took place at approximately 2:10 p.m.
According to Fox, the suspect, 41-year-old Merrill Darrell Fackrell from Syracuse, Utah, has been charged with carrying a weapon on an aircraft and assault with a dangerous weapon in a special aircraft jurisdiction.
More details of the JetBlue altercation explored
As per a criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice, the incident stemmed from an interaction between Merrill Fackrell and a married couple he was sitting next to.
ABC wrote that the situation escalated when the woman from the married couple began to watch a film with her headphones on. She said that she noticed Fackrell talking, but did not realize that he had been speaking to her.
The accused proceeded to block the screen with her hand in order to get her attention. She told authorities that it was only after a few moments that she realized her fellow JetBlue passenger had put a blade up to her neck.
After threatening the woman with the blade, Fackrell was accused of standing up and speaking to various other JetBlue passengers, including the woman's husband.
Addressing the passengers, Fackrell said:
"She's going to be ok, no one needs to worry."
He also allegedly told the husband:
"Get (...) out of here."
A witness at the scene reported that the accused also demanded that someone land the plane, before trying to clarify that the situation was not a terrorist attack.
In an official statement to CBS News, JetBlue airlines acknowledged the incident, describing the role of its staff in containing the situation before the arrival of the authorities.
The statement read:
"Crew members responded by working to de-escalate the situation and notified law enforcement who met the flight in Salt Lake City. The safety of our customers and crewmembers is JetBlue's first priority, and we will support law enforcement during their investigation."
The TSA also released a statement discussing how they can improve security measures in the future:
"We take our responsibility to secure the skies for the traveling public very seriously and are introducing new x-ray technology at more airports to improve our capability to better detect items such as the one used in this incident. We commend the actions of the flight attendants and other passengers on this flight."
The accused's motivations remain unknown as of yet.
