Man Charged After Threatening Pilot, Flight Attendants and Passengers Before Banging on Cockpit Door Mid-flight

Mar. 15, 2025

A man has been arrested and charged with threatening behavior on a flight from Miami to New Jersey.

Plane passengers (stock image).Getty

Getty

According tocourt documentsfiled in the case, Vaquero started to alarm passengers shortly after the plane took off from Miami. He threatened “physical violence toward a disabled minor” and “mock[ed] a group of Jewish passengers.”

The defendant then allegedly told a flight attendant after they refused to serve him alcohol as the beverage service window had closed, “You better watch out, s—-’s gonna happen to you.”

Newark Liberty International Airport (stock image).Gary Hershorn/Getty

Gary Hershorn/Getty

According to the release, the cabin crew “alerted law enforcement” as the plane pulled in at Newark Liberty International Airport. Vasquez then “forced his way to the front of the plane and began banging on the flight deck door” as he called for the pilot to “come outside.”

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Flight attendant (stock image).Getty

“It all culminated in a terrifying attack and attempted breach of the flight deck when witnesses say he banged on the cockpit door and confronted the pilot,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said.

“The harrowing flight and other similar incidents onboard airplanes recently are creating tension and fear for fliers and crew members … for those who think it may not be a big deal — they’re breaking federal law, and they will be brought to justice,” Reilly added.

Vaquero faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

source: people.com