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An unruly passenger claiming to be "the devil" forced a flight to divert to Orlando following a violent disturbance on board, according to WCVB. JetBlue confirmed the incident happened between two passengers on Flight 170, which departed from Fort Lauderdale around 9:30 p.m. on January 4.
Passengers told reporters a man made violent threats and told people he was a "devil" before punching a woman who was traveling with him. One witness claimed airline employees placed the woman in the plane's bathroom, and the man kept beating on the door to try and get her out.
"It was pretty scary," the bystander remarked.
Leo Ruiz, another passenger on the flight, recorded video of the man, who remains unidentified, being escorted off the plane by security.
The flight was heading to Boston but was diverted to Orlando after the disturbance. The news station said passengers had to deplane, wait for a new crew, and get back onboard. They eventually departed for their original destination five hours later and weren't compensated for the lengthy delay.
"This disruption is considered an uncontrollable disruption; meaning it's due to events outside of JetBlue's control (things like Air Traffic Control or weather disruptions) and, unfortunately, does not qualify for customer compensation or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses," an email sent to a passenger and obtained by WCVB reads.