A passenger was arrested at an airport in Australia on Thursday after exiting a stationary plane through an emergency exit, walking along a wing and then climbing down a jet engine onto the tarmac, officials said.
At around 10am local time, Jetstar flight JQ507 arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney. A passenger exited the aircraft via the emergency exit, although a Jetstar spokesperson said the aircraft was parked at the gate at the time.
“We can confirm that a passenger opened the emergency exit door after arriving in Melbourne, which automatically deployed the slide,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to TIME. “We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while our team assisted the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in dealing with this incident.”
The man was detained by airport staff and subsequently arrested by AFP. AFP later confirmed that the man was taken to hospital, where he remains.
“AFP officers have arrested a man for suspected aggressive behaviour and breach of aircraft safety protocols on a domestic flight from Sydney,” an AFP spokesperson said in a statement provided to TIME.
After the rest of the passengers left the plane, some spoke to news outlets about the incident. Audrey Varghese, who was on board the flight, told 10 News First Melbourne that the man was exhibiting strange behaviour.
“He rushed to the emergency exit a few rows away, shoving and pushing people out of the way, and then people started screaming, and then he ripped open the emergency exit door,” Varghese claimed.
This is not the first time in recent history that a passenger has opened an airplane’s emergency exit door – nor the first time he has been arrested for doing so. In January, an Aeromexico passenger opened the emergency exit and walked onto the plane’s wing – apparently in response to being stuck on the tarmac for hours, reportedly without air conditioning or water for passengers. Fellow passengers even wrote a joint statement supporting the man who made the unusual exit.
In 2020, a passenger performed a similar stunt: she opened the emergency exit of a Ukraine International Airlines plane to walk onto the wing.
Although the motive for the man boarding the wing at Melbourne Airport is currently unknown, AFP said investigations into the case were continuing and charges would likely be laid at a later date.
