Passenger arrested on California flight after attempting to choke flight attendant and saying plane was 'crashing', Justice Department says

CNN
—

A California man is facing charges in federal court after he allegedly tried to choke a flight attendant and “said he was going to kill everyone” aboard a Frontier Airlines flight to San Francisco that was diverted Monday, authorities said.

Charles Angel Salva, 30, of Fermont, made his first court appearance Wednesday and was charged with obstructing flight crew and flight attendant, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California.

The plane was climbing shortly after takeoff from Orange County, California, when flight attendants noticed that oxygen masks had fallen out of the overhead bin in one of the rows of seats. “Flight attendants investigated and discovered that Salva had his hand in the overhead bin,” the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

A passenger told authorities that Salva appeared to be suffering from “claustrophobia” and “it appeared as if he wanted to leave the plane,” according to the US Attorney's Office. In addition, the man's hand was trapped in the luggage compartment after he pulled out his oxygen mask.

During the incident, Salva shouted obscenities at the flight attendants and reportedly said, “We're all going to hell” and “This plane is crashing,” the press release said.

“Passengers assisted in restraining Salva, who escaped from the safety restraints and had to be restrained with a seatbelt,” the press release said. “During the incident, Salva kicked a flight attendant in the leg approximately six times, causing obvious bruising and swelling that required medical attention.”

The flight attendant, whom he allegedly tried to strangle, also suffered minor wounds to her neck, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Flight attendants did not feel safe attempting to put Salva back in his seat and the flight was diverted to Ontario International Airport, the press release said.

CNN has reached out to Salva's attorney for comment and has asked Frontier Airlines for more information.

If convicted, Salva would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to court documents, Salva is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 26.

The FBI and Ontario Police are investigating the incident.

In 2021, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would implement a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who misbehave on airplanes.

This year, passengers have been fined for a number of incidents on airplanes across the United States. One passenger attempted to enter the plane's cockpit and had to be restrained, and another punched a flight attendant in the face and was hospitalized. The most serious cases of in-flight mischief are also reported to the Department of Justice.

The largest single fine of $40,823 was imposed on a traveler who brought his own alcohol on board, got drunk, attempted to smoke marijuana in the restroom and sexually assaulted a flight attendant – all on a single flight.