Guide Note
Christina Szele is a New York City resident whose behavior aboard a JetBlue flight bound from San Francisco to New York on June 17, 2008, forced the pilot to land the plane in Denver. According to authorities, Szele was reportedly so upset that flight attendants had prevented her from smoking a cigarette onboard the aircraft that she used a racist epithet, punched one attendant in the jaw, and threatened to kill another.1
Fast Facts
- Born: ca. 1973
- Residence: Woodside, New York
- Arrested: June 17, 2008
- Charges: Assault, interfering with a flight crew1
- Maximum sentence if convicted: 20 years in prison
- Flight: JetBlue Flight 643
- Departure airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Smoked cigarette aboard flight
- Punched flight attendant in jaw
- Called flight attendant the N-word1
- Arrested by federal agents in Denver
Szele's Confession
After being taken to prison, Szele reportedly told authorities that she didn't remember the incident because she had been drinking.2
Szele's Past
Szele is no stranger to the law. In 2007, she was taken into custody in Santa Barbara on disorderly conduct charges.3
