Posted on 05/16/2008 11:23:47 AM PDT by Froufrou
A 19-year-old flight attendant angry at having to work a route set a fire in an airplane bathroom, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing, authorities say.
Eder Rojas, of Woodbury, Minn., was arrested in Minneapolis on Wednesday. He is being prosecuted in Fargo, where the Compass Airlines flight with 72 passengers and four crew members landed safely on May 7, after smoke filled the back. No injuries were reported.
Officials said the plane was flying from Minneapolis to Regina, Saskatchewan.
Court documents said Rojas told authorities he was upset at the airline for making him work that route. He allegedly set the fire inside a paper towel compartment in the rear bathroom of the plane.
Compass is a subsidiary of Northwest Airlines. Northwest spokesman Rob Laughlin said Rojas has been fired.
Rojas made his initial court appearance in Minneapolis on Thursday and was ordered held without bail pending another court date Monday, prosecutors said. The charge of setting fire aboard a civil aircraft carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
His public defender did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Authorities said Rojas asked for extra paper towels and tissue before the plane left Minneapolis. He allegedly took a lighter from another flight attendant's home earlier that day and had it with him when he went through the security checkpoint.
"Rojas further stated that he was preparing his cart to serve the passengers, he set the cart up, went back to the lavatory and reached in with his right hand and lit the paper towels with the lighter," court documents say.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Jordheim, who is prosecuting the case in Fargo, would not comment.
Pilot Steve Peterka told authorities that an indicator light came on about 35 minutes into the flight, showing smoke in the rear bathroom.
The court documents say Peterka called Rojas, who was assigned passengers in the back of the flight, and asked him to check the bathroom. Rojas, another flight attendant and a passenger were credited with quickly putting out the flames with fire extinguishers, authorities said.
Investigators later found a lighter in one of the overhead bins.
FBI agent Ralph Boelter said Compass Airlines officials showed "extraordinary cooperation" in the investigation.
I’d say a psychological test is in order.
Regina is a fine place to live,, stupid jerk.
Lucky they didn’t lose the plane.
He’ll be 40 when he gets out of prison. I hope he enjoys the route he’s going on now. ConAir flies all over..
Indubitably.
This is the alternative “I’m calling in arson” vs. “I’m calling in sick” ping...
I wonder where this idiot sprung from. Better yet who is the fool who hired him? Hey Nancy Baby time to have Bro Al Sharpton have an investigation into if he might have black blood in his ancestary that is justification to let him free and sue Northwest Airlines for job resumption.
At least he got his wish. He won’t have to fly that route again any time soon.
There has to be more to this story. I'm willing to bet Mr. Rojas was an affirmative action hire or was otherwise was able to leapfrog basic entry level requirements.
Not sure what age requirement and background check involves,, probably 18 and if they don’t have a rap sheet is good to go.
This is natual selection in the workplace. Too bad we have to waste money keeping him in prison for a decade or more. Be nice to just send him off to be a coal miner in China or something.
!!! Omg. The financial soulution to our prison systems! Send our felons off to China’s coal mines. They get free labor. We reclaim a booty-load of money spent housing felons.
Now that’s funny! Scary / sad and true. But, also funny!
Works for me. Don’t forget, Australia started as a penal colony.
We’re having a severe entry level labor shortage in our area and I think this misguided $50,000/yr job entitlement out of college is part of the reason.
Maybe he wanted to go to CA instead and attend the wedding of his gay friends.
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