A 24-year-old Boston man has admitted in federal court to opening an emergency exit on a JetBlue plane as it taxied at Logan International Airport, popping the overwing slide and throwing a packed flight to San Juan into sudden chaos. Passengers and crew wrestled him to the cabin floor and held him there until state police arrived on the tarmac, according to court filings. No serious injuries were reported. Sentencing is set for Aug. 4, 2026.
Federal prosecutors say Angel Luis Morales Torres pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston to one count of damaging or disabling an aircraft, as reported by The Boston Globe. The charge stems from a Jan. 7, 2025 incident at Logan, when a passenger allegedly opened an overwing exit while the Airbus A320 was taxiing for takeoff. After his arrest, Torres’s lawyer told reporters his client had been “under severe distress” and had a history of mental-health issues, the Globe reported.
How a Taxiing Jet Turned Into an Emergency
The disturbance broke out just before 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, when a passenger walked down the aisle and opened an overwing exit as the plane was moving toward the runway, triggering the emergency slide, according to The Associated Press. Witnesses told local television outlets the man had been arguing with a companion shortly before the door came open. JetBlue later swapped in a different aircraft, and the delayed flight eventually departed for San Juan on that replacement plane, the AP reported.
Crew Response and Police on the Tarmac
Crew members told investigators they were strapped into their jump seats when they noticed the commotion, then moved to pull the man away from the exit and used flex cuffs to restrain him, according to The Boston Globe. Massachusetts State Police arrived on the tarmac at about 7:30 p.m., Trooper Brandon Doherty told the Globe, and officers took the passenger into custody. JetBlue told investigators that the slide deployment delayed the flight while the airline worked to re-accommodate customers and swap aircraft.
Federal Charge Carries Up To 20 Years
Prosecutors say Torres’s guilty plea covers a federal offense described as damaging or disabling an aircraft, a crime that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison under federal law. The statute, 18 U.S.C. § 32, criminalizes willfully damaging, disabling or destroying an aircraft or related facilities and is punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both. With sentencing scheduled for Aug. 4, the case will return to U.S. District Court in Boston for a judge to decide how much prison time, if any, Torres will serve.
