Josh Longood, a former MMA fighter, helped restrain a passenger accused of trying to open an emergency exit during a Frontier Airlines flight to Chicago.
CBS News reported that 51-year-old Juan Reyes was taken into custody in Miami after passengers and a crew member helped subdue him on the plane. According to the CBS report, which cited an arrest affidavit, Reyes allegedly tried to open an emergency exit, attempted to enter the cockpit, urinated on the lavatory floor, and choked an off-duty Frontier Airlines flight attendant.
Frontier is a familiar name in MMA after the airline’s earlier plane incident involving Khabib Nurmagomedov. This time, a retired fighter was on board when the flight needed help.
“And he was going to do something crazy, so I restrained him and like put him against the window and then kind of safely controlled him so he couldn’t hurt anybody,” Longood told CBS News.
Watch the CBS News report below:
Longood Helped Control The Passenger Before Police Boarded The Plane
The CBS report said authorities boarded the flight in Miami and took Reyes into custody. The plane continued to Chicago a few hours later. CBS also reported that Reyes was charged with battery and could face FAA fines of more than $40,000.
The emergency-exit detail sounded terrifying, but CBS transportation analyst Robert Sumwalt explained why a door opening at cruising altitude is not realistic.
“We all know that airplanes are pressurized and because of the pressure inside of the airplane itself, it is pushing against the doors and the windows and the latching mechanisms to make it physically impossible to open a door or a window in flight.”
That did not make the cabin situation safe. A passenger moving toward the cockpit, grabbing at an emergency exit, or attacking a flight attendant can turn a normal flight into a serious security issue fast. Longood used control instead of damage, holding Reyes until police handled the rest.
The story is not a cage-fight victory lap. It is a practical example of why grappling matters when space is tight, panic is high, and nobody needs a hero throwing punches at 35,000 feet. Frontier’s Khabib controversy made headlines for the wrong reasons. This flight ended with an MMA fighter helping keep passengers and crew protected.
