An incident involving an unruly passenger on a JetBlue flight has led to a guilty plea, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. James Tyqwon Ford, who was on JetBlue flight B6 2404 from San Juan to New York JFK on May 13, 2023, exhibited disruptive behavior after allegedly consuming alcohol onboard.
The crew detected a strong odor of alcohol from Ford before beverage services began and suspected he was drinking his own alcohol. Despite announcements prohibiting personal alcohol consumption, Ford continued to disrupt passengers and used profanity when approached by flight attendants. A crew member warned him that police would be involved upon landing if he did not comply with instructions. USA Today reported that Ford responded defiantly, stating "the police would have to catch him first."
Ford threatened physical violence against a flight attendant in the galley, claiming he would punch her and shoot her. Witnesses among the passengers expressed concern for their safety due to his actions. He also claimed to have brought a firearm onto the aircraft and threatened to "tear the plane apart." A nearly empty liquor bottle was found at his seat.