MIAMI – A passenger on a flight that arrived in Miami from Colombia was apprehended after exiting the plane before it reached the terminal.
According to police, the passenger opened an emergency door and jumped onto the wing of the aircraft as it was pulling into its designated gate at approximately 7:16 p.m. Wednesday.
Local 10 News has learned the man who exited the plane was 33-year-old Christian Segura, an American citizen. Police have confirmed his identity.
The flight, which had just arrived at Miami International Airport from Cali, Colombia, was American Airlines flight 920, police said.
When officers arrived, Segura jumped off the wing and was taken into custody.
Police said he was initially detained by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but has since been transferred into the custody of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
According to police, Segura told officers that he was not feeling well and he was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room after paramedics determined he had high blood pressure.
He will be booked into jail once released from the hospital, which hadn’t yet happened Thursday afternoon.
Authorities said the incident did not cause any delays and all other passengers on the plane were able to get off without any issues.
American Airlines issued the following statement:
“We are aware of an incident involving a passenger on American Airlines flight 920 from Cali, Colombia (CLO) to Miami (MIA).
While customers were exiting the plane at the gate, a passenger opened the over-wing emergency exit and jumped onto the ramp. The customer was immediately detained by law enforcement officials. All other customers deplaned normally. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”