A 30-year-old man whose mother says thought “somebody was after him” jumped out of the back door of a Southwest 737 while it was taxiing at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Saturday. The flight had just arrived from Colorado Springs and was headed to the gate when the man, identified by his family as Daniel Ramirez, took the leap. His family told ABC 15 in the accompanying video that Ramirez was returning to Phoenix after moving briefly to Colorado and was having a mental health crisis for most of the day. He’s now being held by police on felony trespassing charges. “I don’t want him portrayed as some kind of crazy person,” his mother told the TV station.
After Ramirez jumped from the plane, he got up from the ramp and walked to a nearby fire station where he locked himself in a dormitory room. “After a few minutes, firefighters were able to get the adult male to unlock the door where he was then evaluated, treated and transported to a local hospital for a lower extremity injury,” Fire Captain Todd Keller told CNN.
“Initial reports indicate that while the flight was taxing to the gate, a customer onboard exited the aircraft via a rear galley door,” Southwest Airlines spokesperson Dan Landson told the network. “The flight’s captain stopped the aircraft and notified air traffic control (ATC).” Authorities met the plane and checked the outside and it continued to the gate.
Source: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/man-jumps-from-taxiing-737-in-phoenix/
