Former MMA Fighter Restrains Passenger Attempting to Open Emergency Door
Former MMA fighter Josh Longood potentially saved dozens of lives on May 31 when he physically restrained a passenger attempting to open an emergency door on a Frontier Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago.
Longood, 4-1 as a professional MMA fighter, was travelling home from his brother's bachelor party when suspect Juan Gabriel Reyes, 51, attempted to open the emergency door mid-flight and assaulted an off-duty airline employee in the process. Longood intervened, physically restraining Reyes as the plane made an abrupt descent into Miami. He alleged that Reyes was heavily intoxicated.
Reyes is now facing federal charges including interference with the flight crew. The potential consequences of an emergency door being opened at altitude make the intervention one of significant consequence.
Longood was not travelling to a fight. He was on his way home from a family celebration. The outcome for everyone on board that Frontier Airlines flight may have been considerably different without him on it.
"So I was on the flight, just relaxing, had my headphones on, and I hear a lot of commotion coming from behind me, somebody yelling, so, I kind of take my headphones off and look around, see what's going on. They asked me if I wanted to move somewhere and I was like, 'I'm fine here. I think you guys want me in this spot.
"When [the employee] went pick up the bag, the guy jumped on him and was trying to choke him, punch him, but you know, I kind of saw it coming, so I was on him right away and just kind of safely restrained him, controled him, held him down, tied him up," Longood said
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