Latest news with #Armentrout
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Marine 'Slammed' and Zip-tied a Passenger to His Seat After He Claims Man Attempted to Open Plane Door Mid-Flight
A U.S. Marine of 20 years pinned a man down on an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Houston when he claims a man tried to open the emergency exit door Sergeant Major Jody Armentrout said he was handed zip ties by flight attendants to secure the passenger and sat beside him until the plane landed in Seattle That was not the only hiccup in Flight 114's route, as another passenger punched the lavatory door while the plane was on the tarmac in SeattleA U.S. Marine acted quickly after noticing a man grab the emergency exit door. Sergeant Major Jody Armentrout, who has served in the Marines for 20 years, was on a flight from Tokyo to Houston on May 24, when he noticed a man acting suspicious. The fellow passenger took his backpack into one of the lavatories before he walked out, went into a second lavatory, and then a third. "He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on," Armentrout, who is stationed in Japan, told NBC News in a phone interview about his All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Houston. Keeping a steady eye on the suspicious passenger, Armentrout, 50, said he saw the man eyeing the emergency exit door adjacent to him. That's when the Marine intervened by standing up and blocking the man's way to the door. Armentrout said he saw the passenger turn around and run straight through the galley to another emergency exit door. That's when Armentrout's instincts and training kicked in. "He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground," Armentrout told NBC News. "And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me." Flight attendants handed Armentrout zip ties to keep the man secured to the seat while the plane took a detour to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In the meantime, Armentrout sat next to the man for the duration of the flight. "His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on," Armentrout said of the passenger acting suspiciously. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. All Nippon Airways released a statement regarding Flight 114, saying a passenger became 'unruly' during the flight with service from Haneda Airport to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The man was escorted off the plane, where he was brought in for questioning and later identified, according to a Port of Seattle Police report obtained by PEOPLE. The FBI informed the officer on call that they were not going to place the man into custody. Instead, he was transported to a local hospital where he received "further medical evaluation," the report states. "Prosecutors are reviewing reports and witness statements to determine whether the case is appropriate for federal prosecution," a spokesperson for the FBI Seattle field office told PEOPLE. That was not the only hiccup for the All Nippon Airways Flight 114 that departed Saturday morning. As the flight sat on the tarmac in Seattle, another passenger who "was frustrated at the flight diversion" punched a lavatory door, the FBI's Seattle field office reported. The flight passenger was removed from the flight and has not been identified. The FBI reported that neither flight passenger received charges as of Tuesday. Flight 114 eventually made it to Houston on Saturday at 12:42 pm CDT, according to Armentrout admitted, "It was a weird flight." On Friday, May 30, Armentrout will make the trip back to his base in Japan, which he told the news station has him feeling a little anxious after the last flight. With that, he issued a strong advisory to travelers. "I want to make sure everybody understands what time we are in in this world nowadays and that they need to be aware of their surroundings all the time," he said. Read the original article on People


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
'I just knew he was up to something crazy': Hero marine tackles passenger trying to open plane door mid-flight
A US Marine shared a moment he wrestled a disruptive passenger to the ground to prevent him from opening a plane's emergency exit mid-air. Sgt Maj Jody Armentrout, 50, said his instincts kicked in when a man began behaving oddly on Saturday morning's All Nippon Airways flight from Japan to Texas. The long-serving Marine, who has spent more than two decades in the US Marine Corps, said he first noticed the passenger wandering aimlessly between bathrooms. 'He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on,' Armentrout told NBC News. 'His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on.' When the passenger began tampering with an emergency exit, Armentrout jumped into action. 'He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground,' he said. Another older passenger helped restrain the man, while Armentrout zip-tied him to a seat. The Houston-bound flight was then diverted to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the man, reportedly undergoing a medical crisis, was taken to hospital. He has not been charged, the New York Post reported. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Japan based Armentrout, stayed seated beside the passenger for the remainder of the journey and said he acted out of concern for others onboard. 'I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk.' Several passengers thanked the Marine for his quick thinking and bravery, especially as there were babies and families on the flight. However, the drama didn't end there. Upon landing in Seattle, another passenger, reportedly angry about the diversion, punched a bathroom door. The FBI confirmed that this person, too, was removed by Port of Seattle Police but had not been charged as of Wednesday. Reflecting on the incident, Armentrout simply said, 'It was a weird flight.'


New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Marine ‘slammed' passenger who tried to open door mid-flight: ‘He was up to something crazy'
A hero Marine has told how he 'slammed' a crazy-looking passenger to the ground to stop him from opening their plane's door mid-flight, then zip-tied him to a seat while the flight made an emergency diversion. Jody Armentrout, a sergeant major who has served more than 20 years in the US Marine Corps, said the unidentified passenger caught his attention on Saturday morning's All Nippon Airways flight from Japan to Texas when he took down his backpack and went aimlessly from bathroom to bathroom. 'He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on,' the 50-year-old Marine told NBC News. 'His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on.' 3 Sgt. Maj. Jody Armentrout said he tackled a passenger who tried to open an airplane door midflight. U.S. Marines Keeping a close watch on the crazed-looking passenger, Armenault said he watched him start to eye up the emergency exit beside him. The Marine stood up and blocked the door — just for the other passenger to turn around and burst through the galley toward the door on the opposite side. 'He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground,' Armentrout told the outlet. 3 Officials said the man was suffering a medical crisis and he was taken to a hospital in Seattle. FOX 26 'And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side [who] woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me.' Armentrout then used zip ties to secure the troubled passenger to his seat as the Houston-bound flight was instead diverted to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington. He sat next to him for the remainder of the flight from Japan, where the Marine is based. The unidentified passenger was experiencing a medical crisis, officials have said. He was taken to a hospital and had not been charged as of Wednesday. The Marine said he felt compelled to act to save others onboard — including babies — with some of the other passengers later thanking him for his potentially life-saving response. 'I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk,' Armentrout told NBC News. It was not the end of the drama on the flight. When the plane landed in Seattle, another passenger ' frustrated at the flight diversion' punched a bathroom door, according to the FBI's Seattle field office. 3 The Marine zip-tied the man to a chair as they diverted to Seattle. FOX 26 That person, not publicly identified, was also removed by the Port of Seattle Police from the flight, but hjas likewise not been charged as of Wednesday. 'It was a weird flight,' said Armentrout, who will be heading back to Japan next week.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Marine restrains ‘unruly man' who tried to open door mid-flight: ‘I just knew he was up to something crazy'
A Marine jumped into action to restrain an 'unruly' man who tried to open the doors 10 hours into an All Nippon Airways flight traveling from Tokyo to Houston. Jody Armentrout, a sergeant major who has served in the Marines for over 20 years, noticed a man acting strangely on Saturday's Flight 114, taking his backpack into each of the plane's bathrooms back to back. 'He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on,' Armentrout told NBC News. Immediately after, the 50-year-old marine noticed the man started to stare at an emergency exit, so he put himself between the man and the door. The passenger then sprinted to the other side of the plane and began trying to open the other emergency door. 'He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground,' Armentrout said. 'And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me.' Flight attendants gave Armentrout zip ties to secure the man's wrists to his seat. Immediately after the incident, the plane was diverted to Seattle. Armentrout, who is stationed in Japan, said he sat next to the disruptive passenger until the crew made an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 'His eyes – you could definitely tell there was something going on,' Armentrout said. 'I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk,' he added. All Nippon Airways Flight 114 left Haneda Airport Saturday morning for Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport but was forced to land in Seattle when a passenger became 'unruly,' the airline said in a statement. Port of Seattle police confirmed that the man was trying to open exit doors during the flight. He was having a 'medical crisis' on board, police said. He was later taken to the hospital. The excitement didn't end there – another passenger was later removed from the plane for punching a bathroom door after becoming 'frustrated' over the flight diversion, according to the FBI's Seattle field office. No charges have been filed for either passenger as of Tuesday, according to the FBI.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Marine says he tackled 'unruly' man accused of trying to open exit door on international flight
Jody Armentrout was sitting at an exit row seat on Saturday's All Nippon Airways Flight 114 traveling from Tokyo to Houston when he noticed a man was acting strangely. Armentrout, a sergeant major who has served in the Marines for over 20 years and is based in Japan, has been trained to be vigilant. He said he saw the man take his backpack to one of the bathrooms, then come out and go to another bathroom and then, another bathroom. "He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on," Armentrout, 50, said in a phone interview. But then, Armentrout said, he saw the man eyeing up the emergency exit right next to him. Armentrout said he stood up, putting himself between the man and the exit door. That's when the man turned around, ran through the plane's galley and darted to the exit door on the opposite side, Armentrout said. He knew he had seconds to act. "He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground," Armentrout said. "And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me." Armentrout said flight attendants handed him zip ties, which he placed around the man's wrists and used to secure him to a seat. It was announced that the plane would be diverted to Seattle as a result of the incident, and Armentrout said he sat next to the man until they landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on," Armentrout said. All Nippon Airways Flight 114 departed from Haneda Airport on Saturday morning and was heading to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport when a passenger became 'unruly,' the airline said. Port of Seattle police told NBC News that the passenger was trying to open exit doors during the flight. Police confirmed that passengers and flight crew members restrained the man, who has not been identified. The flight landed at Seattle at 4:19 a.m. PT, and the man was taken off the plane, police said. He was evaluated, and it was determined he was 'having a medical crisis," police said. The man was later taken to a local hospital. Armentrout said he acted out of concern for his fellow passengers, especially multiple babies. "I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk," Armentrout said. Other passengers took the time to thank Armentrout for acting when he did, he said. But the eventfulness of the flight did not stop there. Once they were on the tarmac in Seattle, another passenger who "was frustrated at the flight diversion" punched a bathroom door, according to the FBI's Seattle field office. That person, who has not been identified, was removed from the flight, which eventually landed in Houston at 12:42 p.m. CT, according to After having finally arrived in Houston, Armentrout said he was glad his feet were on the ground. "It was a weird flight," he said, adding that he will return to Japan on Friday and is feeling a little anxious about the journey. Keeping in mind what happened, Armentrout wants others to stay aware of their surroundings. "I want to make sure everybody understands what time we are in in this world nowadays and that they need to be aware of their surroundings all the time," he said. This article was originally published on