Unruly Passenger Who Kissed, Punched Flight Attendant Identified As Daniela Velez-Reyes

An unruly passenger who allegedly kissed a flight attendant before punching her in the face has been identified.

According to ABC News, an American Airlines flight to Chicago had to make an emergency landing on Monday, September 14, because of an unruly passenger, who has now been identified as Daniela Velez-Reyes.

American Airlines Flight 1284 had departed from Miami, headed to Chicago, but ended up landing in Indianapolis after Daniela, identified by the Indianapolis Airport Authority, became unruly on the flight.

According to several eye witnesses, Daniela had been acting very disoriented throughout the entire flight, kicking the seats of her fellow passengers and causing a scene.

“She was disoriented through the entire flight, not being able to find her seat, walking back and forth,” said Marian Frendt, a passenger on AA1284, according to ABC7 Chicago. “And when she came to the back, she was sweating profusely.”

“You could hear someone screaming expletives in the back repeatedly,” passenger Jim Saviano said.

“Then she started kicking the seat of the passenger in front of her, and he apparently turned around to complain,” Frendt added. “And she hit him.”

When a flight attendant went to intervene, Velez-Reyes apparently grabbed the attendant’s face and kissed her, then punched her in the face.

“She was trying to talk the girl down,” Saviano said. “She seemed really calm. She was talking about her boyfriend. And then, all of a sudden, she grabbed [the flight attendant] by the face, kissed her and then punched her in the face.”

At that time, the pilot came over the intercom, asking for all large men to help restrain the unruly passenger.

“He just said large men,” Saviano said. “He said I need large passengers to restrain another passenger. So when I hear ‘large passenger,’ I’m thinking something big is going down.”

Darnell Wilson of Chicago said he and three other men were able to restrain Daniela until the pilot was able to safely land the plane.

“She was on the ground,” Wilson said. “She wouldn’t stand up. She kept hollering that she was going to mess herself, like she was cursing people out. It was really absurd.”

Once the plane landed, Daniela was taken into custody by the airport police. She was then handed over to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and taken to Marion County Jail. She is being charged with battery with injury, battery without injury, battery of a public safety officer, criminal recklessness, disorderly conduct, and disruption of the operation of an aircraft.

The unruly passenger caused the rest of the passengers to arrive in Chicago 90 minutes later than originally planned.

[Photo by Markus Mainka / Shutterstock]