Southwest Airlines Passenger Jumps Out Of Emergency Door & Tries to Steal Service Vehicle [Video]

A Southwest Airlines passenger caused panic on a plane that was preparing for takeoff in New Orleans. 

The terrifying ordeal took place on Sunday evening, shortly before 8:00 p.m. As the airplane was still on the tarmac at the Louis Armstrong International Airport, an unidentified passenger seemingly tossed something on the floor before opening an emergency exit and jumping out of the plane and onto one of the wings. He then leaped off and ran towards an unoccupied vehicle, which he then attempted to steal. However, workers near the scene were able to pull him out of the truck and detain him, the New York Post confirms. 

One passenger captured the pandemonium on film, showing panicked travelers disembarking from the plane while others appeared in shock and unsure what was happening. One person can be heard telling others about the deranged man throwing an object down before jumping out of the plane, raising fears of a potential bomb being on board. Thankfully, no one was injured, though it’s unclear what the item was. The flight was ultimately canceled.

The man is a 38-year-old believed to be from Atlanta, Georgia. He was reportedly disoriented and seemingly unaware of where he was. The man was transported to a local hospital. Federal authorities are now investigating the incident, though no charges have been filed. 

“We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our customers for their inconvenience,” Southwest said in a statement.