Soon after his JetBlue flight from Boston to Fort Lauderdale took off on Thursday night, passenger Orion Koshinsky stood up from his seat and allegedly announced, "I want to make sure everybody on the plane knows that I’m in the military and you can buy me drinks.” According to an FBI affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun, he also asked a flight attendant, "I’m in the military, what can I get for free?" He got the drinks, but it turns out that Koshinsky is not in the military—he was on his way to rehab.
After allegedly telling everyone he was on his way to war in Afghanistan, Koshinsky was plied with drinks from patriotic passengers. A passenger seated in his row later told the FBI that Koshinsky already smelled like booze when he sat down, and witnesses say he became volatile and extremely unruly after consuming his three gratis cocktails. One passenger said he heard Koshinsky tell a flight attendant, "I’m going to kill you."
Here's video of Koshinsky being escorted to the back of the plane, yelling, "I just want everyone to know that I fought — fuck what this bitch is saying — I fought for your country. Nails and, nail and toe. I fought. I did what you're asking for. I did it. What did she do?"
Flight attendants considered cuffing Koshinsky but decided that might further "set him off," according to FBI Agent William Logan's report. Instead, Koshinsky was relocated to the back of the aircraft, where he was seated next to a male passenger who "seemed to be able to keep him calm."
The flight was rerouted to Jacksonville, where Koshinksy, a Massachusetts native whose Facebook page lists his most recent employer as a produce market, was arrested upon arrival. He was charged with interfering with flight crew members, a felony. Koshinsky was released yesterday under a judge's order to report immediately to Treasure Coast Recovery in Stuart, a city 250 miles south of Jacksonville.
