The Justice Department said Wednesday that a Utah man was arrested for holding a razor blade up to a woman's throat while on a JetBlue flight earlier this week.
According to the department, 41-year-old Merrill Darrell Fackrell was charged on Tuesday with carrying a weapon on an aircraft and assault with a dangerous weapon in the particular aircraft jurisdiction.
Fackrell was reportedly seated next to a married couple on a flight from New York's JFK International Airport en route to Salt Lake City when he "placed his hand in front of the woman’s screen and told her to pause her movie."
The complaint states the woman "took off her headphones and realized Fackrell had his hand clutched with what appeared to her as a knife, inches from her skin at her throat/neck area."
"The woman's husband went to the front of the aircraft to get assistance from the flight attendant. The woman lunged for the aisle to escape, and Fackrell reached and tried to stop her by grabbing her shoulder."
Later, the object was determined to be a Facón wood-handled straight-edge razor with a one-to-two-inch blade by the Salt Lake City Police Department, which is investigating the case along with an FBI Task Force Officer.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.