ONTARIO ― A Mansfield native was flying to Chicago when he jumped into action to restrain an unruly passenger who attempted to open an emergency exit door.
Mansfield native Josh Longood was heading home to Chicago from his brother’s bachelor’s party in Puerto Rico May 31 when another passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to open an emergency exit door on the Frontier flight.
Longood, 37, a 2007 Mansfield Senior High School graduate, said he restrained the man once for about 10 minutes and then a second time when the man slipped his restraints. He controlled him for another 20-30 minutes until the airplane made an emergency landing in Miami.
Longood said he is lucky he is a light sleeper and was only a row of seats away when everything went down.
He said on social media he was glad everyone made it home safely and hopes his next flight is significantly “more boring.” He believed the suspect, a man of average build, was acting erratic and might have been drinking.
Longood was the right man for the job: He’s a former professional MMA fighter and a current competitive BJJ black belt. By day, Longood works as a medical device salesman.
“He was just talking and acting crazy,” he said. “I could tell he wasn’t going to calm down, so I just kept an eye on him because there were females and young kids around.”
An employee went to pick up his bag that was next to him, and that’s when the man attacked.
“I immediately responded and safely positioned him to where he couldn’t hurt anyone,” Longood said. “I’m just thankful I was seated close to him, so I was able to resolve the situation without anyone getting injured. It was my years of BJJ training that helped me stay calm and handle the situation.”
He said he would do it again if need be.
“I’m confident in my training and abilities to handle real-life situations like these,” he said.
Contact Lou Whitmire at 419-521-7223. She can be reached on X at @Lwhitmir.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield native saves day on Frontier flight, restrains man
Reporting by Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
