Jody Armentrout, a Marine with more than two decades of service, sprang into action aboard All Nippon Airways Flight 114 after sensing that a fellow passenger was behaving suspiciously. The flight, traveling from Tokyo to Houston on Saturday, took a detour to Seattle after a man reportedly attempted to open one of the plane’s exit doors mid-flight.

Armentrout was seated in the exit row when he noticed the man moving restlessly between bathrooms before pacing the aisle and eying the emergency exit. Trusting his instincts, Armentrout stood to block access. The man then bolted across the galley toward another exit. Armentrout followed, intercepted him as he reached the door, and tackled him to the ground.

Sgt. Maj. Jody G. Armentrout.

“He grabbed a strap on the door and pulled it off. That’s when I slammed him to the floor,” Armentrout said. With assistance from a nearby passenger and flight attendants, Armentrout restrained the man using zip ties and secured him to a seat until the plane landed.

Port of Seattle Police confirmed that the passenger had attempted to open the exit doors and was restrained by both crew and travelers. Upon landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 4:19 a.m. PT, authorities removed the man, determining he was undergoing a “medical crisis.” He was transported to a local hospital.

Armentrout remained beside the restrained passenger for the rest of the flight to Seattle, reflecting on the gravity of the moment. “There were babies on board. I wasn’t going to take the chance,” he said.

Though many thanked him for his bravery, the disruption didn’t end there. According to the FBI’s Seattle field office, another passenger, frustrated by the delay, punched a bathroom door and was subsequently removed from the aircraft.

Flight 114 ultimately landed in Houston at 12:42 p.m. CT, hours behind schedule. Armentrout, now back on solid ground, described the ordeal as surreal. With a return flight to Japan scheduled for Friday, he admitted to feeling a little uneasy but emphasized the need for constant vigilance.

“I just want people to understand the times we’re living in,” Armentrout said. “Stay alert to what’s happening around you.”