Flight Diverts Due To Situation With Passenger

August 20, 2014

[Updated with video] An airline diverted to Bermuda this afternoon [Aug 20] as there was an issue with a passenger, with unofficial reports indicating that the passenger caused some form of disruption, with the police saying the passenger “appeared to be having mental health challenges.”

JetBlue Flight #661 left JFK Airport in New York and was headed to Barbados, and according to online flight data the Airbus A321 started to divert to Bermuda at just past 12.20pm.

The plane on the ground in Bermuda, with emergency services present:

jetblue bermuda divert aug 20 14

The flight arrived in Bermuda at just past 1.00pm, and local emergency service personnel from the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service, Police and ambulance were all on standby.

While details surrounding what occurred on the flight are unclear, unofficial reports indicate the person appeared to have some mental health issues, and may have ended up removing his clothes.

jetblue bermuda divert 20 aug 14 5

Once the flight landed, an ambulance was brought right up to the stairs, and although our view was obscured it appears that someone was brought off the plane and placed in the waiting ambulance, as pictured above.

This is the second flight to be diverted to Bermuda in the last 24 hours, following after a Thomas Cook flight en route from Cuba to the UK diverted to Bermuda last night as a 14 year old passenger fell ill.

Details remain sketchy, however we will update with official information as able.

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Update 1.40pm: Police Media Manager Dwayne Caines said, “Police can confirm that they attended a report of a plane being diverted to Bermuda for a passenger that appeared to be having mental health challenges.

“All of the appropriate protocols were put in place, and the 35 year old Barbadian male was taken to the hospital for observation.”

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Comments (11)

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  1. Oh no says:

    Hope he is ok. Hope he is checked out and is better soon.

  2. yamon says:

    He sounded like he was already ‘checked out’ lol

  3. Hurricane says:

    @ yamon, when you have nothing good to say, simply remain silent. There is nothing to laugh at about this story :-(

  4. We Are Not Amused! says:

    yamon,
    the Police need to come and take you to the secure facility!

  5. just saying says:

    I think it is important to point out here that many physical illnesses in an acute phase can often be mistaken for a mental health issue. A thorough screening needs to take place to determine and exclude the possibility that there is no underlying physical health issue..end of….comments, which once again highlight the ignorance of some, are not helpful or funny…it could be you one day on a flight somewhere when you suddenly act out and are then found to be suffering from undiagnosed diabetes..heart failure…serious infections, brain tumours, undiagnosed thyroid problems and so forth…all these things can give an initial picture of mental illness…let’s hope someone there to take you seriously..
    Hope he gets better soon..

  6. Oh …this might be due the synthetic cannabis…there is a man made one sold in head shops that is a powerful hallucinigen, it is well known for this reaction,the person just takes off their clothes each and everytime odd that, it could also have been put in his drink or food at an airport vendor, they really should bond food service people at airports.

  7. I would enquire both possibilities then cross reference happenings or occurences of coincidence of flights out of this terminal to be sure.It is not something that can be let go.

  8. MAKE MY DAY says:

    Sure glad he was NOT a member of ISIS and carrying any undetectable “explosives”!!!