As Jetstar flight JQ507 from Sydney landed at Melbourne Airport around 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 22, the man opened the emergency exit door. He then jumped out of the plane, walked onto the wing, and slid down the evacuation slide before ground staff quickly subdued him.
According to Sky News, the man had been ignoring flight attendants’ instructions to sit down and had been pacing around the cabin. Fellow passengers, alarmed by his behavior, urged him to “please sit down” as the situation escalated.
The man, believed to be in his 30s, was arrested, and passengers were eventually allowed to exit the plane.
Passenger Adam described witnessing the man standing up and disregarding the crew’s orders as they taxied to the gate. He appeared to be having a mental health crisis. “He looked disturbed, and it seemed like he was having some sort of psychotic episode,” Adam told Sky News. “When we reached the gate, he reached for the emergency exit, and despite attempts to restrain him, he managed to open the door and jump through.”
Adam added that the situation was tense, with many passengers confused and scared. “The atmosphere was quite fraught, and the woman in the emergency exit row was visibly traumatized.”
A Jetstar spokesperson confirmed that a passenger opened the emergency exit door upon arrival, causing the slide to deploy. “The plane was stationary at the gate at the time. The passenger has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police,” they stated.
