Would-be Mexican plane hijacker subdued by passengers and crew after he tried to force plane to fly to US: video

Passengers and crew members were able to quickly subdue the man who attempted to hijack a Tijuana-bound flight and divert it to the US by holding a flight attendant hostage, harrowing new video shows.

Footage on social media and local outlets show the 31-year-old hijacker, identified only as Mario, surrounded by passengers and crew members near the cockpit of the grounded Volaris airlines flight on Sunday morning.

The man, reported to be a father-of-two, could be seen with his arms around a female flight attendant before making a dash for the door and appearing to attempt to jump out of it. However, a passenger quickly grabbed him while children and others on the flight could be heard screaming and crying.

The mustachioed older man who helped lead the charge against the hijacker told local reporters at the El Bajio airport — in Leon in central Mexico — that he and others on the plane tried to keep the situation from escalating.

“I was able to convince him to turn himself in peacefully, asking him to let go of the flight attendant and give it up for the sake of his wife and kids,” the Good Samaritan, who was not named, said in Spanish.

“Everyone was scared and panicking,” he added. “He was scared. He was demanding they take us to San Diego so he could feel safe.”

The tense situation appeared to end when the hijacker let go of the flight attended and surrendered himself, but desperation appeared to kick in as he made a final dash for the open door.

“Papa, no!,” a woman could be heard screaming as she and the Good Samaritan desperately held him back and kept him from going out the door.

The Mexican Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) said the suspect remained restrained until police arrived to arrest him.

The suspect had claimed that one of his family members had been kidnapped and that he received death threats telling him not to travel to Tijuana once the flight took off, according to the SSPC.

Volaris confirmed that all the passengers and crew members were safe and continued their flight after the suspect was removed.

The airline has become a plaintiff to ensure that the passenger faces the full weight of the law, according to its statement.