Authorities say a man headed to rehab coerced fellow passengers to buy him drinks aboard a JetBlue flight before getting arrested in a storm of drunken belligerence.
The Smoking Gun reports that Orion Koshinsky, 23, was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from Boston on JetBlue Flight 1969 last Thursday when he allegedly made the bold announcement: "I want to make sure everybody on the plane knows that I’m in the military and you can buy me drinks." He also reportedly pestered the lead flight attendant, saying "I’m in the military, what can I get for free?"
Koshinsky, who is not in the military, had three drinks before becoming violent, allegedly throwing another passenger's bag into the plane's aisle. He also threatened to kill flight attendant Jeannie Piel, who tried to unbuckle his seat belt in an effort to get him into the bathroom.
Piel and the plane's captain eventually decided that Koshinsky was a "Level Two" threat and elected to divert the plane to Jacksonville, Fla. Koshinsky, who was headed to Florida to enter a drug and alcohol treatment facility, was remanded to the back of the plane until it landed.
He was arrested and charged with interfering with flight crew members and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
[via The Smoking Gun]
