Federal officials have charged Juan Gabriel Reyes, 51, of Chicago, with interference with flight crew members and assault within maritime territorial jurisdiction. The charges stem from an incident on Frontier Airlines Flight 3345, which was traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago, Illinois, when Reyes allegedly became disruptive approximately 45 minutes after takeoff, prompting the pilot to divert to Miami, Florida.
According to police reports, Reyes attempted to open the aircraft’s exit doors mid-flight and assaulted another passenger. Witnesses stated that he lunged at an off-duty flight attendant, choking him, which led other passengers and a flight attendant to restrain him using flex cuffs and seatbelt extenders. Despite these efforts, Reyes reportedly broke free multiple times until a passenger intervened.
The flight landed safely at Miami International Airport at 11:55 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 31. If convicted, Reyes could face a maximum federal prison sentence of 20 years for the interference charge and up to one year for the assault charge. He has been booked into the Miami-Dade Correctional Center.
