A teenager died on the Southwest flight following a mystery air rage incident (Picture: Eddie Maloney/Wikimedia Commons
A mystery still surrounds the death of a teenager with no history of violence after he suddenly went berserk on a passenger flight.
On paper, Jonathan Burton was a normal 19-year-old – a student who enjoyed giving back to his community in his Las Vegas neighbourhood.
But one disturbing incident ended up killing him on a Southwest Airlines passenger flight in the US after he was held down by a mob of other passengers following his aggressive behaviour.
And 24 years later, the tragic ‘air rage’ incident has still not been fully solved.
What happened on the Southwest Airlines Flight 1763
Jonathan Burton died of strangulation after he was held down by fellow passengers (Picture: AP)
To this day, the mystery continues to fascinate true crime enthusiasts and armchair detectives.
Late on August 11, 2000, Jonathan boarded Flight 1763 from Las Vegas to visit family in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had a packed schedule – help with his uncle painting business, water skiing and hiking were on the cards, ABC News reported.
At this point, he appeared to be fine, according to his mother who took him to the airport.
But everything changed in a flick of a switch, and no one knows exactly what happened, although the FBI has tried to piece it together using cockpit recordings and witness statements.
After the plane had reached cruising altitude and drinks service began, another passenger claimed Jonathan had a ‘frantic’ look on his face, Mayhem In The Desert reports.
Then the young man suddenly got up and snatched a drink off the tray without saying a word and rummaged through the rear cupboards for some peanuts before turning his strange attention to the cockpit door.
He reportedly screamed ‘I can fly this plane, I can fly this plane’ as he kicked the door until he broke into the cockpit where he tried to get hold of the pilots, the Guardian reported.
Passengers told of chaos with other passengers panicking, screaming and children crying as other travellers fought Jonathan to the ground.
When the police arrived at the airport, they found him lying unconscious face down with at least one passenger standing on his neck, according to the outlet.
Jonathan was pronounced dead at the hospital, and an autopsy revealed he had died of asphyxiation while his body was covered in bruises.
At least eight passengers are thought to have been involved in restraining him, but none of them faced charges after the US attorney for Utah found that the group acted in self-defence.
But one Canadian passenger, Dean Harvey, alleged that he had seen a large man jump onto Jonathan multiple times while others held the teenager, the Guardian reports citing a local newspaper.
Harvey said: ‘I asked him to stop.
‘I said, “you’ve got the guy subdued. What more do you want? You don’t have to pound his head in”. It wasn’t self-defence. No way.’
While eyewitnesses claimed the restraining went beyond self-defence, his tragic death does not explain what sparked Jonathan’s aggression.
Traces of cannabis and cocaine were reportedly found in his blood, but the FBI does not believe this caused the behaviour, Mayhem In The Desert reports.
Investigators believe the only explanation is ‘air rage’ – an alleged behavioural disorder identified in the 21st century that makes people lose control on flights.
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