Two plane passengers were taken into custody after a chaotic scene unfolded at Miami International Airport on Sunday, where they allegedly attempted to force their way onto a departing flight.
American Airlines plane passengers arrests go viral
The confrontation, which was caught on video, appeared to show one of the individuals throwing coffee at a gate agent. However, the suspects claim the drink simply spilled.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the individuals involved were identified as Beatriz Rapoport de Campos Maia, 29, and her fiancé, Rafael Seirafe-Novaes, 41.
The couple had arrived late for their scheduled flight to Mexico and, in their urgency to board, became engaged in a physical altercation with airline staff.
As they attempted to push past personnel and gain entry to the aircraft, hot coffee was spilled onto an airline worker.
Authorities stated that the coffee was deliberately thrown, but de Campos Maia insisted otherwise.
“Nobody threw coffee. The coffee fell,” de Campos Maia told CBS News following her release from jail in Miami on Monday.
“The lady who said I threw it was a liar. It just dropped on the floor,” she added, refuting accusations that she had intentionally targeted the airline employee.
Seirafe-Novaes was similarly defensive about the incident. “No, no. I am not crazy. We would not throw coffee. Coffee, I drink,” he stated.
Plane passengers got into altercation after missing flight
The couple explained that, after enduring two exhausting flight connections, they were in a hurry to make their final trip to Cancun.
Upon being denied boarding, their exasperation intensified into a heated confrontation with airport authorities.
They argued that the entire situation had been exaggerated and that what transpired was an accident rather than an assault.
As tensions heightened, law enforcement officers intervened, ultimately arresting both individuals.
Footage circulating on social media captured officers forcefully restraining Seirafe-Novaes, pinning him to the ground before escorting him outside the gate and into a waiting patrol vehicle.
Another video clip showed de Campos Maia being forcibly seated by an officer while her fiancé was being taken into custody.
Seirafe-Novaes later displayed visible scrapes on his knee, which he claimed were the result of aggressive handling by the police.
“I got this from the carpet from the polícia,” he stated, suggesting he had been unnecessarily tackled by officers despite offering no resistance.
Authorities charged the couple with battery and trespassing after they allegedly disregarded multiple “No Trespassing” signs on the jet bridge in an attempt to board their flight.
Seirafe-Novaes also faces an additional charge of resisting arrest without violence.
Passenger breaks cabin crew member’s leg while trying to open emergency exit
Meanwhile, in a separate incident of mid-flight turmoil, dramatic footage surfaced online showing a disruptive airline passenger attempting to open an emergency exit during a flight from Madrid, Spain, to Caracas, Venezuela.
The event reportedly took place on February 28 aboard Flight 701, operated by Plus Ultra Airlines.
Midway through the journey, the passenger allegedly began harassing a fellow traveler by shouting and slapping him while he was asleep.
Cabin crew promptly intervened and relocated the unruly individual to a different seat to prevent further disturbances.
However, the disruption did not end there. Moments later, the same passenger approached the emergency exit door and attempted to open it, causing alarm among fellow travelers.
Viral video footage captures the moment flight attendants and passengers tried to restrain the individual as bystanders reacted with shock and distress.
The clip concludes with the suspect subdued and lying on the cabin floor with his hands restrained.
A spokesperson for Plus Ultra Airlines confirmed that crew members acted swiftly to neutralize the threat.
“Immediately, our cabin crew subdued the passenger and, following the action protocol, secured him in the back of the plane until he reached the destination,” the airline representative stated.
“At all times, he was accompanied by two people from the crew, lying on the ground and attended to avoid any possible altercation.”
Upon arrival in Caracas, authorities took the passenger into custody.
Unfortunately, in the process of restraining him, one of the flight attendants sustained an injury.
“One of our cabin crew suffered a partial fracture of the fibula for which he has already been treated and which will keep him out for a few weeks,” the airline spokesperson added.
