Passenger arrested for trying to strangle flight attendant and saying plane ‘is going to crash’ on California flight, Justice Department says

() – A California man is facing federal charges after he allegedly tried to strangle a flight attendant and “said he was going to kill everyone” while aboard a Frontier Airlines flight to San Francisco that had to be diverted Monday, authorities said.

Charles Angel Salva, 30, of Fermont, made an initial court appearance Wednesday and was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California.

The plane was climbing shortly after taking off from Orange County, California, when flight attendants noticed that oxygen masks in one of the plane’s rows were outside the overhead bin. “Flight attendants investigated and discovered Salva had his hand in the overhead bin,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

A passenger told police that Salva appeared to be “claustrophobic” and “looked like he wanted to get off the plane,” the U.S. attorney’s office said, adding that the man got his hand trapped in the overhead bin after removing his oxygen mask from there.

During the incident, Salva yelled obscenities at flight attendants and allegedly said, “We’re all going to hell” and “This plane is going to crash,” according to the statement.

“Passengers helped restrain Salva, who slipped out of the flexible handcuffs and had to be restrained with a seat belt,” the statement said. “During the incident, Salva kicked a flight attendant approximately six times in the leg, which apparently caused bruising and swelling, which required medical attention.”

The flight attendant he allegedly tried to strangle also suffered small marks on her neck, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

Flight attendants did not feel safe trying to place Salva back in his seat and the flight was diverted to Ontario International Airport, the statement said.

has reached out to Salva’s attorney for comment and to Frontier Airlines for further information.

If convicted, Salva faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to court records, Salva is currently in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26.

The FBI and the Ontario Police Department are investigating the incident.

In 2021, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced it would introduce a zero-tolerance policy for passengers who misbehave on airplanes.

That year, passengers were fined for a variety of incidents on planes across the United States, including one passenger who tried to enter the cockpit and had to be restrained and another who punched a flight attendant in the face and was sent to the hospital. More serious cases of in-flight mischief are also reported to the Department of Justice.

The largest individual fine, $40,823, was imposed on a traveler who brought his own alcohol on board, was intoxicated, attempted to smoke marijuana in the bathroom and sexually assaulted a flight attendant, all on a single flight.

‘s Lilit Marcus contributed to this report.