A flight from Miami to New York City faced a significant delay on Monday night following an alleged assault on a gate agent, as reported by a passenger on the plane and confirmed by American Airlines.
The originally scheduled departure time for the flight from Miami International Airport to LaGuardia Airport was 7:15 p.m. local time. However, due to the reported assault, the departure was delayed.
As of Monday evening, the rescheduled departure time was set for 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Earlier this evening, law enforcement was requested at Miami International Airport due to a disturbance on the jet bridge where a customer physically assaulted a team member,” American Airlines stated in a statement. “Acts of violence against our colleagues are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation.”
As per the passenger’s account, a man on the plane was reportedly instructed to go back to the gate. Subsequently, he purportedly assaulted and injured the agent, causing her to fall to the ground. This information was conveyed by the pilot and reiterated by the passenger.
According to the passenger, The pilot said that, “We have had an incident on our plane. We were trying to eject a deranged man when he got angry and struck our (gate agent) and she is passed out. It is very serious. She is currently on the floor.”
