The Justice Department announced that Charles Angel Salva, a 30-year-old man from Fremont, California, is facing federal charges for choking and assaulting flight attendants during a trip to San Francisco that forced the plane to be diverted to another airport. Salva appeared in federal court on Thursday and is charged with interfering with flight crew members and attendants. The incident occurred on Frontier Airlines Flight 3581 that departed from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana en route to San Francisco International Airport. Shortly after takeoff, flight attendants noticed the oxygen masks in one row of the middle of the aircraft were out of the overhead compartment. It was discovered that Salva had his hand in the overhead compartment, which led to a series of disruptive behavior.
A passenger on the flight stated that Salva appeared claustrophobic and seemed like he wanted to get off the plane. He proceeded to pull down the oxygen masks and began yelling obscenities, claiming that the plane was going down. Salva attempted to grab passengers and ran towards the back of the aircraft where he grabbed a flight attendant’s lanyard and threatened to choke her. He also assaulted another flight attendant by pushing her with force and threatening to kill everybody on board. Passengers stepped in to restrain Salva as he kicked the second flight attendant in the leg. The plane was diverted to Ontario International Airport where Salva was subdued by authorities.
After being restrained with soft cuffs, Salva was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. One of the flight attendants who was assaulted by Salva also required medical treatment. Witnesses onboard the flight and Frontier Airlines expressed gratitude to the flight crew for their professionalism and to the passengers who assisted during the incident. Salva had been traveling with his 3-year-old daughter back to San Francisco after a trip to Disneyland when the incident occurred. Prior to the flight, Salva had allegedly taken ecstasy and expressed delusional beliefs about the other passengers being aware of his crimes.
During a police interview, Salva admitted to being a child molester and revealed that he had molested his daughter multiple times, leading to him losing custody rights. He also admitted to taking ecstasy before boarding the plane, which clouded his judgment and led to the disruptive behavior onboard the flight. Salva also mentioned hearing voices that triggered thoughts of him being a pedophile, resulting in his erratic behavior towards the flight attendants. Salva now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for his actions onboard the flight that endangered the crew and passengers. The incident highlights the challenges faced by flight crews in dealing with disruptive passengers and the importance of cooperation among passengers during emergencies.
