An American Airlines flight attendant is being accused of setting the bathroom of a plane bound for Detroit on fire. He is facing charges but no one was injured from the said flight.
In a report by Fox News, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the incident happened last February 1, on trip number 1419. The plane was able to land safely at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
A criminal complaint was filed just this Tuesday and the FBI has identified the flight attendant as Johnathan Tafoya-Montano. He reportedly admitted that he set paper towels on fire with a green Bic lighter and immediately put out the fire, CBS reported.
He stood in the hallway of the plane for several minutes before he returned to the bathroom with a fire extinguisher to "take care" of the other flaming towels. He pretended that he discovered a fire and told the other flight attendants about it. The captain was then notified and the control tower was alerted. After that, the plane was granted emergency status and landed at the aforementioned airport.
No one has reportedly used the bathroom 15 to 20 minutes prior to the fire. It remains unclear what Tafoya-Montano's motive was in setting paper towels on fire.
He reportedly made up several accident stories during his interview when the incident took place but eventually admitted this week that he was the real culprit, Detroit Free Press reported.
He has been released on bond and was escorted by an FBI agent to the Detroit Metro Airport for his flight back to Dallas, Texas. The magistrate judge handling the case has ordered Tafoya-Montano to remain seated the entire flight and a corporate security officer was asked to ride next to the accused. He has been charged with destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities as well as false statements or entries generally.
Tafoya-Montano worked for American airlines for a year and a half but before being a flight attendant, he worked for a doctor's office in New Mexico. The only past encounter with the law that he has had was a DUI conviction back in 2014 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
