BOSTON — A Leominster man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, to attempting to stab a flight attendant and tamper with an emergency exit door while aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Francisco Severo Torres, 34, plead guilty in federal court to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris scheduled sentencing for July 17, 2025. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
Torres was arrested on March 5, 2023, after allegedly tampering with the emergency door of the aircraft approximately 45 minutes before landing at Logan International Airport. A flight attendant inspecting the door found that the locking handle had been partially moved and the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the “disarmed” position.
When confronted by a flight attendant about tampering with the door, Torres reportedly asked if there were cameras showing his actions. Shortly afterward, he allegedly exited his seat and approached the starboard side door where two flight attendants were standing in the aisle, he then started yelling, stating, “I’m taking over this plane,” and he then threatened that he would “kill every man on this plane.” A passenger recorded Torres making these statements on video.
Prosecutors say Torres then attacked one of the flight attendants with a broken metal spoon, striking the individual in the neck area three times before being subdued by passengers and crew.
According to passenger interviews, Torres had earlier asked another traveler where the emergency door handle was on the safety card during the pre-flight safety briefing and had been seen pacing in the galley area before the assault.
Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023 following his initial arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts reported.
