‘I’m taking over this plane’: Man who terrorized a flight with a broken spoon pleads guilty

After a harrowing incident at 40,000 feet, Francisco Severo Torres, a 34-year-old man from Leominster, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a terrifying mid-flight confrontation on a United Airlines plane.

According to the District of Massachusetts’ U.S. Attorney’s Office, Torres admitted to attempting to open an emergency exit door and attacking a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon during a flight from Los Angeles to Boston.

Torres “tampered” with the door

The incident took place on March 5, 2023, approximately 45 minutes before the plane’s scheduled landing. An alarm alerted the cockpit crew that the starboard side emergency door between first class and coach had been tampered with. Upon inspection, the door’s locking handle had been moved from the fully locked position, and the emergency slide arming lever was set to “disarmed.” The flight attendant secured the door and reported the issue to the captain.

Fellow crew members reported seeing Torres near the door earlier, raising suspicions. When confronted, Torres questioned whether there were cameras capturing his actions. Alarmed, the flight crew alerted the captain that Torres posed a significant threat, urging an emergency landing.

“I’ll kill every man on this plane!”

Shortly after the confrontation, Torres left his seat and approached the emergency door again, this time in a more aggressive manner. A flight attendant observed Torres mouthing inaudible words before he suddenly began shouting, “I’m taking over this plane!” and “I’ll kill every man on this plane!”

Armed with a broken metal spoon, Torres lunged at a flight attendant, making stabbing motions and striking the attendant’s neck area three times. Fortunately, passengers and crew members acted swiftly, tackling Torres to the ground and restraining him until the plane safely landed at Boston Logan International Airport.

Passengers on the flight later recounted that Torres had exhibited suspicious behavior before the attack. He had asked another passenger where the safety card displayed information about the emergency door handle, and was seen pacing in the galley. His erratic behavior raised concerns, but no one could have predicted the violent outburst that followed.

Torres was taken into custody immediately upon arrival and has since been charged with interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. This charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Torres entered his guilty plea on May 13, 2025. His sentencing is scheduled for July 17, 2025. The prosecution emphasized the gravity of the charges, given the potential catastrophe that Torres’s actions could have caused.