A California man is facing federal charges for choking and beating flight attendants on a trip to San Francisco this week that was diverted to another airport, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Charles Angel Salva, 30, of Fremont, is accused of interfering with aircraft crew members and attendants. He appeared in Federal Court on Thursday.
According to a federal court complaint, Salva traveled aboard Frontier Airlines Flight 3581 from Santa Ana’s John Wayne Airport to San Francisco International Airport on Monday.
Just after departure, as the jet was ascending from below 10,000 feet, flight attendants observed that the oxygen masks in one row of the aircraft’s midsection were missing from the overhead compartment.
Authorities reported that they located Salva’s hand in the overhead compartment. A passenger told detectives that Salva appeared claustrophobic and seemed to want to get off the plane.
According to the passenger, Salva pulled down the oxygen masks from the overhead compartment and got his hand caught. According to court filings, he then began chanting obscenities, including “We are all going to hell” and “This airplane is going down.”
A flight attendant held him as he attempted to grab people, according to officials. Salva then allegedly raced to the back of the plane, pulled the lanyard around a flight attendant’s neck, and yelled, “I’m going to choke this b—-,” while attempting to choke her.
He also pushed another flight attendant “with force” and threatened to murder everyone, federal prosecutors said.
Passengers attempted to detain Salva, who kicked the second flight attendant in the leg. The plane was rerouted to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, where officers boarded it and discovered passengers holding him down.
Salva was eventually placed on a gurney by attending officers, confined with soft cuffs, and transported to a nearby hospital. Salva allegedly kicked the flight attendant’s leg, and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.
“We extend our utmost appreciation to the flight crew for their professionalism and to the other passengers who assisted during the incident, as well as local and federal law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, for their efforts to ensure justice,” a Frontier statement sent to Fox News Digital read.
A passenger informed authorities that they were going back to San Francisco with Salva and his 3-year-old daughter following a weekend at Disneyland. According to court filings, Salva abandoned his daughter, the unknown passenger, and their family on Sunday before disappearing.
The passenger claimed they later received a call from the Anaheim Police Department notifying them that Salva had been discovered soaked in excrement at a liquor store.
During a police interrogation, Salva allegedly stated, “I’m a child molester,” and that he had assaulted his 3-year-old daughter several times before losing custody rights.
He allegedly acknowledged to consuming ecstasy before getting on the plane. He further stated that he believed everyone was trying to force him to reveal his misdeeds, so he attempted to press the emergency flight button, causing the plane to crash, according to investigators.
He assaulted the flight attendants because he didn’t want anyone to know he was a pedophile, and he claimed he heard voices uttering words that made him think of himself as a pedophile.
Salva faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
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