As time passes since Tuesday’s incident on a Las Vegas-bound JetBlue airplane, more details are emerging, and stories about more passengers’ heroic actions in subduing the erratic-acting pilot are coming to light.
According to Sal Visione, President and CEO of DWG Distribution, his friend and employee Jeffrey Diaz played a major role in the situation.
“One of the flight attendants was following the captain and said to Jeff, ‘I might need your help,’” he said. “Jeff was the first one on him, and twisted his arm behind him and put some kind of wrestling move on him and got him to the ground. He was an animal.”
After that, Diaz said, more people, including Visione, joined in the fray and helped subdue the captain and keep him subdued until the plane could land and authorities could take control of the situation.
Shortly after the incident, the two were contacted by several media outlets who wanted to hear their version of the story, but turned them down. Visione said based on how he was feeling at the time, that didn’t seem right to him.
“It was very emotional for me. All I was thinking about was seeing my kids again,” Visione said.
So why are they speaking up now?
“I wasn’t looking for press, but I started to see other people coming forward and saying they did things they didn’t do or exaggerating what they did, I knew I had to speak up,” Diaz said. “I just wanted to clear up some things that some people have said that may not be completely true.”