A Southwest Airlines passenger in New Orleans was taken into custody after he allegedly jumped from a plane’s emergency exit hatch before hopping over to its wing for a short walk.
The plane was not moving at the time of the incident at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Sunday. The 38-year-old man, who has not yet been identified, was detained by Southwest ground personnel on the tarmac until police from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
Though original reports suggested the man was arrested, sheriff spokesman Jason Rivarde told Law&Crime in a written statement on Monday that the man was immediately transferred to an area hospital for evaluation once police showed up Sunday night.
Since the man was not arrested, his identity will not be released. The man remains hospitalized and an investigation into the incident has now been passed to federal authorities, Rivarde said.
Sheriff’s officials also said the man was “incoherent” and appeared “not fully aware of his surroundings” when authorities stopped him.
He appeared to be suffering a “mental health emergency,” Rivarde said.
A spokesperson for Southwest did not address a question about any potential security lapse that may have occurred Sunday and only told Law&Crime in an email that the company “commend[s] our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our Customers for their inconvenience.”
Southwest Airlines plane taxis on runway in 2023. (Ric Tapia via AP)
WSB-TV reported that the Southwest Airlines flight was destined for Atlanta, Georgia, and had not yet begun to leave the skyway when the man slipped through the emergency hatch and stepped out onto the wing. Rivarde also confirmed on Monday that the man, who is believed to be a resident of Atlanta, was not armed and no injuries to any party were reported.
Viral video of the incident has swept like wildfire through social media including on TikTok where some of those recording the incident can be heard exclaiming that the man may have left something on the plane before escaping out of the emergency door. But Rivarde emphasized that this was false.
“There is no indication that the man left anything on the plane, nor was he found in possession of any weapons of any type,” he said.
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