Drunk firefighter causes chaos in first class — forcing pilot to make emergency landing, police say Exclusive: Robert Solesky admitted to ‘aggressively’ grabbing a flight attendant by the lapels, but insisted that “it was a kind gesture to say, ‘Thanks, man,’” according to court filings reported first by The Independent.
A retired New York City firefighter flying first-class to Japan allegedly got so drunk, he couldn’t figure out how to get in — or out — of the plane’s lavatory, after which he grabbed a flight attendant, tried to enter the cockpit, and generally became so uncontrollable, the rattled pilot was forced to put the aircraft down in Alaska, some 3,500 miles from its intended destination.
Reached by phone, Solesky’s wife Pam, who was aboard the flight and is listed in court filings as a witness, hung up without comment.
His attorney, Kevin Roe, was in court on Thursday and unavailable for interviews, his assistant told The Independent.
It says Solesky was sitting in the fourth row of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, in a lie-flat reclining seat normally priced just north of $12,000, round-trip.
