NEW YORK, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A California man was arrested after disrupting a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., his former home, officials said.
JetBlue Flight 278 was diverted to Salt Lake City after Kevin Theodore Simon, 45, allegedly disrupted the flight and shouted, "I will take this plane down," the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported.
The incident happened Monday, when Simon allegedly became belligerent because he wasn't allowed to purchase headphones from the flight crew with cash instead of a credit card.
Crew members decided Simon was intoxicated and declined to sell him a drink, the report said. Then an attendant accidentally dropped something on his shoulder from an overhead compartment, further angering him, the newspaper said.
Simon demanded an apology and said he would file a formal complaint. He then allegedly threatened the flight crew, saying he would follow them off the plane and "have their jobs."
Officials said Simon repeatedly shouted, "I will take this plane down" and tossed a piece of paper.
The plane's captain decided to land in Salt Lake City, where Simon was arrested. He was taken to a jail in Salt Lake County and released to the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Marianne Fhock, Simon's sister, said she is worried about her brother.
"We're all very concerned about our brother," Fhock said, describing him as "troubled."
