Lesson learned: A flight attendant who started a fire on an airplane just so he could “play the hero” by putting it out has been jailed for more than six years. More details after the jump!
Eder Rojas, 23, risked the lives of 72 passengers and four crew members, when he set fire to paper towels in the plane’s rear bathroom while he was working on the Compass Airlines flight.
Investigators accused Rojas, of Woodbury, Minnesota, of starting the fire because he was unhappy about working the route from Minneapolis to Regina, Saskatchewan.
However, his defense attorney Richard Henderson claimed that his client had wanted to be a ‘hero’ and suffered from a narcissistic personality disorder during his sentencing today.
‘I don’t think he understands what fully motivated him to do this,’ Henderson said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Shasky said that Rojas could have created a fireball on the Compass plane because of the oxygen on board.
‘It would have been one big boom. The pilot had visions of passengers on fire before that plane got to ground,’ Shasky added.
Rojas had taken a lighter aboard the flight and had reportedly asked for extra paper towels before the plane took off from Minneapolis before using the lighter to start the fire.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Fargo. No injuries were reported, but Shasky cited letters from passengers who said they have been traumatised by the incident.
‘Several indicated they are absolutely terrified to set foot on a plane now,’ Shasky said.
Both motives behind the arson are irrational and extreme, U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson said.
‘It could have been an unmitigated disaster,’ Erickson said.
‘Really, that’s all I can say about the offense. The real issue is do we get him the psychiatric help he needs.’
Prosecutors said about five weeks before the Compass flight incident in May 2008, Rojas was aboard another flight that was forced to make an emergency landing in Wisconsin because of a bathroom fire.
Rojas allegedly helped put out the fire. No charges have been filed in that case.
A tearful Rojas said on Friday that he was sorry for what he did and would accept any punishment he received.
‘It was selfish of me. I was just thinking of me, myself and I hope the passengers can forgive me for what I did,’ he said.
Rojas faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Erickson sentenced him to 74 months and ordered him to pay more than $100,000 ina fine, most of which will go towards compensating Compass Airlines for damage to the bathroom and the cost of emergency accommodation for passengers.
Rojas, who was 19 at the time he was arrested, was charged with starting a fire aboard an aircraft and failure to appear.
The latter charge, which was dropped on Friday, was filed after he walked away from a Fargo halfway house in September 2008 and fled to Mexico.
He was arrested in March 26 in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico and pleaded guilty in September.
Erickson said Rojas did not truly accept responsibility for the crime.
‘You ran away, you had to be extradited,’ Erickson said. ‘I’m not going to reward that behavior today, tomorrow, or ever.’
