Connect with us

Northeast

Airline passenger charged for allegedly threatening pilot, flight attendants: 'I will really break your jaw!'

Published

on

Airline passenger charged for allegedly threatening pilot, flight attendants: 'I will really break your jaw!'

A New Jersey airline passenger allegedly told a flight attendant “I will really break your f—– jaw n—-!” before threatening a pilot “six inches from his face” after the plane he was traveling on landed in Newark, federal prosecutors say. 

Luis Vaquero, 27, of Passaic County is now facing a federal charge following the “harrowing flight” Sunday from Miami, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. 

Federal prosecutors say the alleged passenger meltdown began shortly after takeoff when Vaquero started “threatening and harassing various passengers, including making threats of physical violence toward a disabled minor and mocking a group of Jewish passengers. 

“Vaquero also threatened a flight crew member who declined to serve Vaquero alcohol after the beverage service window closed, telling her, “You better watch out, s— is gonna happen to you,” the attorney’s office said. 

FLIGHT PASSENGER ‘BULLIED’ AFTER REFUSING TO SWAP WITH SEAT SQUATTER, TRIGGERS REACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

Advertisement

Airplanes sit parked at gates at Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport on Dec. 4, 2024, in Newark, N.J. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

“Upon landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, flight attendants alerted law enforcement. After hearing the announcement that the airplane was awaiting the arrival of law enforcement, Vaquero forced his way to the front of the plane and began banging on the flight deck door, demanding, “I need the pilot to come outside!” federal prosecutors said. 

“When a flight attendant attempted to intervene, Vaquero yelled, ‘I will really break your f—– jaw n—-!’ Vaquero also yelled, ‘I wanna see that f—– captain! Come outside you b—- a– n—–!’ When the captain emerged, Vaquero continued to make threats to the captain while six inches from his face until law enforcement intervened,” they added. 

JET OWNED BY MOTLEY CRUE’S VINCE NEIL INVOLVED IN FATAL PLANE CRASH AT SCOTTSDALE AIRPORT IN ARIZONA 

Travelers are seen at the Newark Liberty International Airport  ahead of Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, 2024. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Advertisement

Vaquero was charged with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants by assault or intimidation. 

He made an initial court appearance Monday before being released. If convicted, Vaquero faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. 

“Over the course of a 3-hour flight, we allege Vaquero lost his temper and physically harassed not only the crew and captain, but passengers, making threats of physical violence toward a disabled minor and mocking a group of Jewish passengers,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly said in a statement. 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection sign is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

 

Advertisement

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

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Boston, MA

2 men arrested after armed home invasion with shots fired in Saugus, police say

Published

on

2 men arrested after armed home invasion with shots fired in Saugus, police say


Gunshots were fired in a daytime armed home invasion in Saugus, Massachusetts, on Sunday, police say, and the two suspects are in custody.

No one was hurt in the shooting on Oakwood Avenue about noon, Saugus police said. Two Boston men, Derek Matarazzo and Timothy Gregory, are facing felony charges including home invasion after their arrest shortly after the 911 calls came in.

The calls reported two men in masks, dressed in black, armed with guns, breaking into a house, police said. They didn’t share what led to the gunfire or how the men were tracked down, saying only that the department wasn’t speculating on their motivation.

Matarazzo and Gregory are believed to be the only people directly involved in the home invasion, police said, and it’s believed to be an isolated incident, so there’s no danger to the public.

Advertisement

Neighbors who spoke with NBC10 Boston say they are shaken up by what occurred, describing a shootout right outside their homes in the middle of the day.

Ring camera video from a nearby home shows the aftermath, as neighbors say you can see the homeowner running into the middle of the street with a phone pressed to his ear, desperately flagging down police — after the chaos.

A neighbor tells us his family first heard what sounded like a pop — something they thought could’ve been a lawn mower backfiring, until they realized it was gunfire. That neighbor says one of his daughters then saw a man carrying a safe — dropping it in their front yard — while shots were being fired.

“I saw somebody come out of the house shooting and then we all hit the deck, because you didn’t want a stray bullet to ricochet off something and come through the window or anything like that,” George Benn said.

“I saw the shots. I saw a man go down. I thought he was going to be dead but apparently he just flipped on that hill,” Tom Bushee said.

Advertisement

The investigation is ongoing.



Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Emotional 2026 Pittsburgh Marathon saw multiple new records set

Published

on

Emotional 2026 Pittsburgh Marathon saw multiple new records set


This year’s Pittsburgh Marathon is one for the record books. More than 52,000 runners crossed the finish line, with more than 300,000 spectators cheering them on.

“We’re welcoming people from around the world,” P3R CEO Troy Schooley said. “This event has turned into an international event for our city. We’re going to show it off today. The runners will run through 14 neighborhoods. We have 33 different countries represented today and all 50 states.”

Advertisement

Mohammed El Youssfi claimed the men’s division of the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, crossing the finish line and immediately wrapping himself in the Moroccan flag.

Advertisement

“This is my first time in Pittsburgh, but the special moment for me today is the people here cheering me on,” El Youssfi said. “That helped me to win the race.”

Emotions ran high for Pittsburgh’s very own Will Loevner. The Winchester Thurston graduate has run the Pittsburgh Marathon multiple times, finishing as the runner-up in 2024 and fifth in 2025. But in 2026, he took home top honors, crossing the finish line first at 2:14.

“I’ve now won the Philadelphia marathon, the Cleveland marathon twice,” Loevner said. “To win Pittsburgh, I feel like it was the trifecta and the most special one for me. I mean, being in the hometown, nothing even compares.”

Advertisement

Buze Diriba Kejela is 2026’s women’s Pittsburgh Half Marathon champion, setting a course record for women and crossing the finish line at 1:08:39.

Advertisement

“I’m happy to set the course record. I like it,” she said.

Before the runners crossed the start line, the handcyclists got a head start. Marshall Tempest of Monroeville came out on top in the Pittsburgh Marathon Handcycle Division, finishing at 1:40:16.

“I’ve done 13 Pittsburgh marathons, and this is my 5th time winning it, in a row,” he said. “It feels good. It was a rough one, but I was determined to get that 5th one.”

“I love running,” said Will Henry Lawrence, who ran the half-marathon. “I love being able to have breath in my lungs and let my feet hit the pavement. I had a stroke six years ago, and so I give all glory to God for being able to get out and exercise.”

Advertisement

Advertisement

Tickets for the 2027 Pittsburgh Marathon are on sale for 48 hours, starting at 3 p.m. on May 3, 2026. You can register at thepittsburghmarathon.com

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Connecticut

Scammers use AI images of injured pets to target owners, Blumenthal warns Connecticut residents

Published

on

Scammers use AI images of injured pets to target owners, Blumenthal warns Connecticut residents


In a new and rapidly expanding scam, swindlers are using images generated by artificial intelligence to tap the wallets of desperate and heartbroken owners of lost pets.

In a press conference on Friday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, warned state residents about a fraud that is becoming “more and more rampant.”

Scammers manipulate photos of lost pets posted by owners on social media to make it appear the animal has been hurt, according to media reports from around the nation. 

In Florida and Texas, for example, scammers have told owners of missing dogs that their pets were hit by cars, with an accompanying image of a dog that looks like theirs on a veterinarian’s operating table, WESH 2, a Hearst TV station affiliate in Florida, reported recently. The scammer then demands payment for the surgery.

Advertisement

An urgent demand for money is a red flag, Blumenthal said, along with the claim that a lost pet has been hurt and images of an injured pet. The Federal Trade Commission, as the nation’s consumer protection agency, should issue a formal warning about the scam, the senator said.

Numerous reports of lost pet scams have surfaced recently, Popular Science reported in March, describing a few common scenarios, including the one in which the owner is sent an image of what appears to be their injured pet at a veterinary hospital and another, in which the owner is sent images of what appears to be their pet at a shelter, about to be euthanized. But, the article states, these images are false.

Other types of lost pet scams involve an offer of fake pet-finding services, according to the Better Business Bureau.

“You may receive a message from someone on social media about drone technology and search parties that can help you find your pet,” the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization reported. “The person will ask you for payment up front and will likely ask you to send it through a peer-to-peer payment app. Before paying for services, always search for the business on BBB.org or check BBB Scam Tracker.”

All types of cyber-scams have been proliferating in the nation, according to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report. Since the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center was launched about 25 years ago, complaints have surged, the FBI reported, with a current average of about 3,000 complaints each day.

Advertisement

In 2025, losses reported to the center continued to climb, surpassing $20 billion, the FBI reported. Investment-related fraud once again made up the largest part of the losses, followed by business email compromises and tech support scams, the agency reported.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending