Man jumps from airplane

Paul

Veteran
Nov 15, 2005
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A passenger on a commercial flight jumped out of a moving airplane as it prepared to take off Monday, authorities said.

Troy Rigby, 28, of Pompano Beach, was detained on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport by officers who used a stun gun to subdue him, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Authorities said Rigby started yelling to get off as the Boeing 737 began to move toward the runway. He ran to the front of the plane, and banged on windows and the cockpit door. As passengers and crew tried to restrain him, Rigby bit a passenger, who sustained minor injuries, the sheriff's office said.

When the pilot depressurized the cabin, he opened a door and jumped out of the moving plane onto the tarmac, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies found him running toward the terminal and zapped him with a stun gun after he resisted arrest. He was then taken to the Broward General Medical Center, but it was unclear if he was injured, the sheriff's office said.

Rigby will be charged with criminal mischief, criminal trespass, battery, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, in addition to an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession, the sheriff's office said.

Continental flight 408 was headed from Fort Lauderdale to a Newark, N.J., airport. The flight had been delayed about 30 minutes after passengers boarded because of weather conditions in its flight path, airport spokesman Jim Reynolds said.

The plane was carrying 116 passengers and a crew of five. It was rescheduled for later Monday, Continental spokesman Martin DeLeon said.

TBO.com News
 
Continental Flight Jumper Has Heart Attack In Prison

Sister Says Troy Rigby Is Bipolar Schizophrenic

The sad saga of Troy Rigby -- the man who jumped from a Continental Airlines flight as it was waiting to takeoff from Fort Lauderdale last Monday -- continues, as reports have surfaced that Rigby suffered a 'massive' heart attack in prison Friday.

Rigby's sister told the Lakeland (FL) Ledger her brother is now in intensive care following the episode. Deputies found the Pompano Beach man, who was not breathing, on the floor of his cell Friday, according to sheriff's spokesman Elliot Cohen.

Earlier in the week, Rigby was charged with three counts of battery, trespassing, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief related to the Continental incident. He was detained by officers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) after a stun gun was used to bring the man down.

Merlene Rigby told the Ledger her brother is a diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic. She alleges Rigby had not been taking his medication, and should not have been on the flight to New Jersey.

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