Florida Woman Sentenced for Disrupting Flight

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jessica Navarro, 31, of Winter Springs, Florida, was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release by the Honorable Judge Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro.

In June 2023, Navarro pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew, one count of assaulting a flight attendant, and one count of assaulting a passenger. On January 11, 2022, the defendant, under the influence of alcohol, had kicked the seats in front of her, spat on passengers, and physically resisted the flight crew. The defendant’s conduct escalated, with Navarro striking a flight attendant and a passenger, causing a Frontier Airlines flight that departed Orlando, Florida, to be diverted from its intended Islip, New York, destination and land at Philadelphia International Airport.

“Jessica Navarro’s violent conduct endangered and traumatized passengers, and severely inconvenienced everyone aboard that plane,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Air travel can already be a stressful experience, and the last thing anyone should have to deal with is such drunken and dangerous behavior en route to their destination. If you commit a federal crime aboard an aircraft, expect to be held accountable.”

“Passengers like Navarro do more than disrupt a flight, they put all passengers and the entire crew at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, FBI Philadelphia's Special Agent in Charge. “Today’s sentencing sends a message to anyone who might engage in disruptive behavior or violence aboard an aircraft: Upon your arrival, FBI agents will be waiting to bring you to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.