"He's fearless and wouldn't back down from anyone. Air Canada is lucky to have had him on the flight."
Marc Long was responding to news that his long time friend Mike Breadmore, had played a key role in helping flight crews restrain a highly agitated passenger, on board an Air Canada flight from Jamaica to Toronto, Monday night. It wasn't the peaceful ending to their relaxing vacation that the North Bay man, a lineman for Bell, and his partner, Bobbie Lyn Shank were expecting.
Various news agencies are reporting that a passenger became increasingly more agitated as the flight went on.
One eyewitness is quoted as having said that they watched helplessly as the man paced at the back of the plane, where he grabbed a coffee pot and began swinging it around.
At one point he allegedly threatened to open the cabin door by attempting to pull the lever.
Crews apparently tried to calm the man down but the situation quickly escalated. Reports indicate at that point, crew members asked some passengers to help bring the situation under control.
That's when Breadmore is credited with stepping in to help. They eventually got the man down, and were able to tie his arms and legs to a seat with plastic zip ties.
Long played minor hockey with Breadmore and roomed with him in England with the Milton Keynes Kings in the British National League in 2000. He knows what his former roommate is capable of doing in that type of situation.
"Mike is like a little pit bull, he's not scared of anything." Long describes his friend as the type of person who would "step up and try to take control of this guy."
He said knowing Mike, "He would have been first in line, hands up and ready to help out in the situation. It's definitely scary being on a plane that high in the air and that happens. Like I said, having Mike on their flight was definitely a saving grace for Air Canada."
The plane was diverted to Orlando where FBI agents removed the passenger. Brandon Courneyea faces a number of criminal charges.
