Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Biden administration’s mandate requiring masks on airplanes and in public transport will either expire or be renewed on April 18 — no decision has been made.
“We all want to get to where there are fewer restrictions. We just need to get to a point where it is safe to do that,” Buttigieg told ABC’s “The View” on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration also said Friday that it it seeking the largest fines yet for passengers who disrupt flights after two incidents that occurred on airliners last summer.
The FAA said it proposed a civil penalty of $81,950 against a passenger who struck a flight attendant on the head, tried to open a cabin door and headbutted, spit at and tried to kick crew members and passengers even after she was placed in flexible handcuffs.
The incident happened on an American Airlines flight last July. The FAA said the passenger was arrested when the plane landed in Charlotte, NC.
The FAA is seeking a $77,272 fine against a woman who tried to open a cabin door during a flight and bit another passenger repeatedly before she was restrained by the crew on a Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta last July.
The FAA said the fines are part of roughly $2 million in proposed penalties it has announced since Jan. 1.Getty Images
Neither person was identified. They have 30 days to respond to the accusations.
The FAA said the fines are part of roughly $2 million in proposed penalties it has announced since Jan. 1. Airlines have reported a high number of incidents since early 2021 — more than 1,000 this year alone — with most of them involving passengers who refuse to wear face masks.
A Florida man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a rideshare driver and raping a passenger he picked up from Miami International Airport last month, according to a report.
The 28-year-old victim had just flown in from Salt Lake City and was looking for a cab when Fernando Avila Hernandez, pretending to be an Uber driver, offered to give her a ride to her hotel, NBC Miami reported Thursday.
At one point during the ride, Hernandez, 28, asked if she would sit in the front seat to help him with directions.
The woman — originally from Colombia — agreed to the seat change because she was unfamiliar with how Ubers operate, NBC reported.
“She stated she did not think anything of it because since Uber is not officially allowed in Colombia, Uber drivers sit their passengers in the front so as to not alert authorities,” an affidavit on the case stated, according to the outlet.
As they approached her hotel, she offered to pay by credit card — but Hernandez said he only accepted cash, the report stated.
He then allegedly offered her $500 for sex and she declined, telling him she was not a sex worker.
Hernandez, of Miami, then allegedly demanded $300 for the ride and the passenger said she didn’t have that amount on her.
He drove her to a parking lot behind a nearby restaurant and sexually assaulted her, authorities alleged.
Hernandez then dropped the woman off at a hotel where she alerted staffers about the alleged attack.
The 28-year-old victim is originally from Colombia and had just flown to Miami from Salt Lake City, Utah.Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
The suspect was later arrested after cops examined surveillance footage and recognized him from an unrelated incident.
Uber told NBC that Hernandez has not worked for them since 2021 and was not authorized to pick up fares.
Hernandez is now facing multiple sex raps. His attorney, Bijan Sebastian Parwaresch, told NBC that his client was innocent.
“We’re highly objecting to the notion of an unconsensual sexual encounter,” he said.
Earlier this month, a serial rapist who posed as an Uber driver to lure women in Ohio was sentenced to at least 41 years in prison. Christian Burks copped to raping five women in Cleveland between October 2017 and May 2020. He posed as an Uber driver in two of those cases, according to Cleveland.com.
A Southwest Airlines passenger allegedly masturbated in front of a woman on four separate occasions on a flight from Seattle to Phoenix — telling cops he didn’t do anything wrong and actually “thought it was kind of kinky,” authorities said.
Antonio Sherrodd McGarity was sitting next to the horrified woman aboard Flight 3814 and exposed himself to her shortly after takeoff on Saturday, the Daily Beast reported.
The sicko “exposed his penis by pulling down his pants and shorts and proceeded to masturbate during the first hour of the flight,” the woman said in a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet.
“She suspected that McGarity ejaculated because he licked a white substance from his fingers,” according to the complaint.
The woman began snapping photos of McGarity, who allegedly used both his left and right hands to pleasure himself for about an hour before he finally fell asleep, according to the report.
The victim reported his brazen lewd behavior to a flight attendant and was allowed to move to another seat for the remaining two hours.
The incident took place on a flight from Seattle to Phoenix.AFP via Getty Images
When interviewed by the FBI in Phoenix, McGarity allegedly admitted to his shocking behavior and was slapped with federal charges.
“McGarity advised he asked the female witness if she minded if he masturbates,” according to the complaint cited by the outlet. “According to McGarity, the female witness put her hands in the air and said, ‘It really doesn’t matter.’”
The man thought her response was “kind of kinky” and believed she was comfortable with him masturbating, the complaint adds.
A Southwest spokesperson told the Daily Beast that the airline has imposed a lifetime ban on McGarity.
“On April 2, we received reports of inappropriate Customer behavior on flight 3814 from SEA to PHX. The situation was reported to Crewmembers while inflight, and the Captain contacted law enforcement to meet the aircraft upon arrival,” the rep said.
“We immediately placed the passenger on our No-Fly List, resulting in a lifetime ban from traveling on Southwest.”
Last year, a Southwest pilot was arrested for allegedly exposing his genitals during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando, though that incident was “not witnessed by passengers,” according to court filings cited by the outlet.
Jeff Bezos’ space firm Blue Origin safely completed its fourth-ever crewed trip to low orbit on Thursday morning without “Saturday Night Live” comedian Pete Davidson, who dropped out of the mission days earlier.
The six passengers took off in a “New Shepard” shuttle at roughly 9 a.m. local time from their launch site in Texas and returned to the ground roughly 10 minutes later. The spacecraft reached a maximum speed of 2,236 mph, according to Blue Origin.
Davidson’s replacement, longtime Blue Origin employee Gary Lai, was the first person to exit the capsule upon its return to Earth.
Lai is the chief architect of Blue Origin’s “New Shepard” shuttle program and was one of the first people to join the firm.
“I don’t know that I could even, words could do that justice. You just have to feel it,” Lai said after the mission landed. He added that the sensation of flying to space was “different” from what he expected.
Dubbed “NS-20,” the latest launch was the 20th in Blue Origin’s history.
Pete Davidson appears on SNL in a spacesuit — but backed out of his Blue Origin flight.Saturday Night LiveThe Blue Origin mission lasted roughly 10 minutes from start to finish.Reuters
Aside from Lai, the mission’s crew members included investor Marty Allen; SpaceKids Global founder Sharon Hagle; her husband and Tricor International CEO Mark Hagle; entrepreneur Jim Kitchen and Commercial Space Technologies President George Nield.
Blue Origin identified Kitchen as a “world explorer who has visited all 193 U.N.-recognized countries.” The trip to space added another accomplishment to his resume of adventure.
Kitchen displayed a flag with the number 194 when he exited the capsule.
“This was pushing that final boundary, going to space. Let me tell you, that was an out-of-body experience,” Kitchen said. “On the way up, you’re going 2,300 miles per hour and you feel every bit of that.”
The Blue Origin crew included longtime employee Gary Lai.ReutersPassenger Jim Kitchen displayed a flag with the number 194 when he exited the capsule.REUTERS
Davidson’s plan to fly to space with Blue Origin generated widespread buzz this month – until the firm revealed on March 18 that the mission was delayed and the comedian would no longer participate.
Blue Origin’s first three crewed spaceflights have celebrities on board. Bezos participated in the firm’s first-ever passenger flight last year, while “Star Trek” actor William Shatner was aboard the second mission in October 2021 and NFL star-turned-TV host Michael Strahan flew to space last December.
Conditions on this subway train are really going down the toilet.
A man was spotted Tuesday night urinating on an F train passing through Brooklyn – while several straphangers didn’t even bat an eye.
The man was caught on camera relieving himself on a car in plain view of about 10 people while lying horizontally on a bench seat in between the Jay Street-MetroTech and York Street subway stations at about 6:15 p.m., according to a witness.
About three commuters across from the man darted out of the line of fire during the disgusting act, but multiple strangers in a row of adjacent benches didn’t seem fazed and remained seated.
“The people on the sides, they paid no attention,” said Stefano Giovannini, a freelance Post photographer who witnessed the public urination. “Nobody said anything.”
Passengers appeared to be unfazed by the grotesque display. Stefano Giovannini
After going about his business, the man zipped back up and went back to sleep.
Giovannini said he notified an MTA booth worker at the Delancey Street/Essex Street station, but was given the cold shoulder.
The grotesque display came less than a month after Mayor Eric Adams kicked off a plan to clean up the city’s subway system.
Adams’ comprehensive subway safety initiative aims to crack down on rule-breaking underground and help the chronically homeless into shelters.
Under the plan, City Hall said 30 specialized teams made up of cops, homeless outreach workers and behavioral clinicians would be dispatched to high-priority subway stations.
CORFU, Greece – Fire fighters battling a blaze on a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy discovered a survivor on the stern of the still burning vessel on Sunday, the Greek coast guard said, reviving hopes that other missing passengers could still be found alive.
Rescuers managed to take at least 281 out of 292 passengers and crew to safety after the blaze broke out on the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia early on Friday, but 11 people are still missing, according to the coast guard and ferry operator.
Firefighters have been trying for days to contain the fire and cool scorching temperatures on the 600 ft ship to allow emergency crews to board and rescue any survivors. The authorities have not announced a death toll.
“Firefighters are still battling the fire and crews are searching for more people,” the fire brigade said.
The cause of the blaze is still being investigated and a prosecutor has launched an inquiry, according to coast guard officials.
Eleven people are still missing, according to the Greek coast guard and officials.REUTERS
The ferry had been on its way to the Italian port of Brindisi from Igoumenitsa in Greece. Many of the passengers were truck owners or drivers transporting goods through Europe.
The man rescued on Sunday was from Belarus, according to the coast guard, while those still missing are Bulgarian, Turkish and Greek nationals.
Reuters footage showed rescuers climbing up a stepladder to the vessel after a tug boat towed it closer to the shore.
“Since one person is rescued, we are optimistic that more survivors can be found,” Greek coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told Skai TV.
Aerial footage released by the Greek coastguard on Friday showed rows of burnt trucks on the blackened deck after flames engulfed the ship. The ferry was carrying 153 vehicles, the company said.
A group of truck drivers who survived the ordeal arrived back in Bulgaria in the early hours of Sunday.
“Once we were in the boats we saw the huge flames. Everything burned, the losses are big, but I am glad we are alive and we will see our families,” truck driver Rumen Cholakov told Bulgarian Nova TV.
A Pennsylvania Uber driver and mother of four begged a customer to spare her life before he allegedly shot and killed her during a robbery attempt, police said.
“I’m begging you, I have four kids,” 38-year-old Christi Spicuzza pleaded, according to dashcam video of the horrific crime, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
She had picked up 22-year-old Calvin Crew, of Penn Hills, around 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 10 when 10 minutes into the ride, he allegedly put a gun to the back of her head.
“You’ve got to be joking,” Spicuzza said when she reached back and felt the gun, according to the dashcam footage, detailed in a criminal complaint obtained by the Post-Gazette.
Christi Spicuzza begged Calvin Crew to not harm her during the ride, pleading to the suspect that she has four kids.Pitcairn Police
Crew allegedly told her to “keep driving” as Spicuzza pleaded “Come on, I have a family,” the video shows.
“I got a family, too, now drive,” Crew responded.
“Do what I say and everything will be alright,” Crew he said.
The video ends after the suspect grabbed the camera.
Calvin Crew was picked up by Christi Spicuzza, when 10 minutes into the ride, he put a gun to the back of her head, ultimately, killing her.Allegheny County Police / CBS Pittsburgh
Crew was arrested on Thursday and was charged with criminal homicide, robbery and tampering with evidence.
Christi Spicuzza’s family reported her missing when she did not return home the night before.Christi Spicuzza/Facebook
Cops found the dashcam near the area where Crew had allegedly requested to be dropped off, according to the complaint.
During a press conference on Friday, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said Crew’s motivation was likely to rob Spicuzza. The two had no prior connection, he said.
Spicuzza’s family had reported her missing on Feb. 11 when she did not return home after taking several Uber fares the night before.
Police said GPS records showed that she had driven through several neighborhoods with Crew allegedly in the backseat.
According to the complaint, Crew received a text from his 22-year-old girlfriend Tanaya Mullen that said “[I’m] not going to jail if we get caught.”
Mullen allegedly told police that her handgun had gone missing after she had brought to a birthday party for one of Crew’s relatives. It’s not clear whether her gun was the one used to kill Spicuzza.
She has not been charged, and police declined to comment further on the message.
Crew was arraigned early Friday before District Judge Robert Dzvonick, the Post-Gazette reported. He is being held without bail in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 25.
The police found the dashcam near the area Calvin Crew requested to be dropped off, according to the complaint. CBS Pittsburgh
A woman barred from boarding a flight to the Big Apple because she appeared drunk led police on a wild chase on her motorized suitcase – before allegedly spitting at a cop and defecating in a patrol car, according to a report.
Chelsea Alston, 32, is seen on the bizarre pursuit in a newly-released body cam video at Orlando International Airport, where she planned to board a Southwest Airlines flight in April 2021, WKMG reported.
But a gate agent told her she appeared too intoxicated and refused to allow her to take the flight, according to the outlet, which cited court records.
“I don’t want no beef. I’m just trying to go home and enjoy myself,” Alston reportedly said, claiming she had consumed just two drinks.
Police officer Andrew Mamone responded to the scene and told her she was banned because of her glassy eyes, inability to stand straight and the odor of booze emanating from her.
Alston’s tantrum is captured on the body cam footage.Orlando Police DepartmentAlston planned to board a Southwest Airlines flight.Orlando Police Department
“It’s OK. You just need to go over to the terminal and sober up a little bit. Get another flight,” he tells Alston, who proceeds to wave her middle finger at him and unleash a stream of profanities.
“F— you! Suck my d—!” she shouts before taking off on her motorized luggage.
“We’re going to have a bike pursuing a suitcase in a minute,” the officer says as he chases the getaway suitcase on his bicycle.
Alston was barred from boarding her flight after she was found to be too intoxicated.Orlando Police DepartmentThe officer chased Alston on his bicycle.Orlando Police Department
“Oh man, that thing kind of goes fast,” Mamone is heard saying during the chase – as some bystanders can be heard giggling.
The officer finally catches Alston and orders her to leave the secure area.
“Follow me, and we’ll roll out together,” Mamone tells the woman, who then appears to spit at him before he and another officer place her in handcuffs.
‘I’m just trying to go home and enjoy myself,’ Alston said.Orlando Police DepartmentAlston refused to go quietly.Orlando Police Department
But Alston would not go quietly, the video shows, and apparently spits at him again – reportedly hitting him in the eye.
“Stop spitting,” he tells her.
“I only spit one time,” Alston replies before she was dragged to a patrol car, in which she allegedly defecated and left about $1,200 in damage, WKMG reported, citing an arrest report.
Alston reportedly spit at the arresting officer.Orlando Police DepartmentAlston allegedly left $1,200 in damage in the squad car.Orlando Police Department
Alston was reportedly charged with battery of a police officer and released from the Orange County jail on a $13,500 bond.
Her attorney declined to comment about the case to the news outlet.
An American Airlines passenger tried to storm into the cockpit — leading a flight attendant to bash him on the head with a coffee pot while subduing him with other flyers, terrified travelers said.
The flight was headed from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, on Sunday when mayhem involving the “unruly passenger” caused the plane to be diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Missouri, FBI officials said.
“The flight was diverted due to an unruly passenger interfering with the flight crew,” FBI Kansas City said. “As this is an ongoing matter, the FBI is unable to comment further.”
Mouaz Moustafa, a passenger, told the New York Times that the unidentified man tried to enter the cockpit and open the plane’s main exit door before several others intervened.
“Other passengers and flight attendants subdued and had to use force to disable the individual,” he wrote on Twitter.
Moustafa said a courageous group of passengers and a flight attendant armed with a coffee pot sprang into action and took the man down.
The unidentified man tried to enter the cockpit and open the plane’s main exit door before several other passengers intervened.Twitter/@SoccerMouaz via REUTERS
“A flight attendant ran to the back of the plane and got the coffee pot and continues to bash the guy on the head,” he told the New York Times.
As the terrifying incident was unfolding, the plane descended roughly 30,000 feet in less than eight minutes, according to flight data posted by Moustafa.
Moustafa said he and everyone else on board immediately thought of the worst-case scenario — that “it was the end for everybody.”
FBI agents interviewed other passengers on the plane.Twitter/@SoccerMouaz via REUTERSThe FAA has reported that unruly conduct on aircrafts has surged 500 percent last year.Twitter/@SoccerMouaz via REUTERS
“It felt like the plane was free falling and many feared the worst because people weren’t fully aware of what was unfolding,” Moustafa recalled
.
Footage posted by Moustafa from inside the plane shows the man being held down in the middle of the plane’s aisle as curious and relieved passengers look on.
FBI agents interviewed other passengers on the plane, footage posted by Moustafa shows. The man involved in the incident was “bleeding profusely,” Moustafa said.
One of the brave passengers who stepped up, Air Force reservist Carlos Rojas, said the irate passenger appeared to be middle-aged, distraught and paranoid.
“When I went up, it looked like the guy was trying to open the exterior door of the plane to the outside,” Rojas told the newspaper. “So we were kind of keeping him from doing that and just trying to subdue him and make sure that he was taken down and everybody was OK.”
The incident marks the latest report of unruly passengers in the skies, where such conduct surged 500 percent last year amid passengers who refused to don masks during the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Aviation Administration reported in June.
FAA officials reported an average of 12 “inflight disturbances” per 1 million screened passengers, compared to just 2 incidents per 1 million in 2019.
American Airlines thanked the fearless flyers who stepped in after the man’s “erratic” behavior.FG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Some 394 reports of unruly passengers have been tallied thus far in 2022, including 255 related to face masks, according to FAA statistics through Feb. 8. Travelers can face criminal charges and fines up to $37,000 per violation.
American Airlines confirmed the plane landed safely in Missouri and thanked the fearless flyers who stepped up after the man’s “erratic” behavior.
“We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism,” the airline told The Post in a statement. “We also appreciate the customers who stepped in to assist our crew.”
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, meanwhile, denounced the attack as a “dangerous, life-threatening” incident.
“This violent behavior must stop,” the organization tweeted Sunday.
APFA said it will work with other flight attendant and customer service agent unions and the Department of Transportation to ensure the man and other similar suspects are prosecuted to the fullest extent and face possible flying bans.
A Taxi & Limousine Commission driver was grazed in the back by a bullet when a suspect opened fire as he dropped off a passenger in Brooklyn Thursday morning, cops said.
The 39-year-old driver was letting a rider out of his car at Ocean Avenue and Farragut Road in Midwood around 6:15 a.m. when someone approached the vehicle and fired a gun, police said.
The driver was grazed in the back and taken to the Kings County Hospital Center in stable condition, authorities said.
The shooter, wearing a white T-shirt, took off in a silver two-door Volvo sedan, cops said.
It was not immediately clear whether the victim was the intended target.
Police also did not know whether the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) driver was behind the wheel of a taxi or livery cab.
The shooter was wearing a white T-shirt and fled in a silver two-door Volvo sedan.Google MapsThe 39-year-old driver was grazed in the back and taken to the hospital in stable condition.Christopher Sadowski
The TLC didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
