Selma Blair Arrested at JFK After Delta Flight Incident: What We Know
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Actress Selma Blair, 54, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Sunday night after an incident aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles, according to Port Authority officials cited by Fox News, CBS News and NBC News. Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital.
Blair's representative says she suffered a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration are both looking into what happened.
What happened on the flight?
Port Authority police told Fox News Digital that officers responded at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 11 to a report of a physically abusive passenger on Delta Flight 938. The plane was parked at the gate after arriving from Los Angeles International Airport.
CBS News, citing a law enforcement source, reported that the crew had to restrain Blair. The same source said one flight attendant was bitten and the other suffered a laceration. Port Authority officials did not describe what happened on board in detail, according to NBC News.
In air traffic control audio captured by ATC.com and quoted by CBS News, the pilot asked for medical personnel at the gate. He described a bloody nose and bite marks on crew members and said the passenger also appeared to have hit her head on a bulkhead.
What happened after the plane landed?
Police said Blair was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for evaluation. CBS News identified it as Jamaica Hospital and reported that she remains in custody.
The law enforcement source told CBS News that Blair allegedly kicked a Port Authority police officer in the ambulance and later allegedly assaulted a nurse at the hospital. Those accounts have not been independently confirmed in the other outlets' reports, and Blair's representatives have not addressed them.
What does Blair's side say?
Blair's representative said she experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. The representative said she received immediate medical attention after landing and is in stable condition. CBS News attributed the same statement to Blair's attorney, while Fox News and NBC News attributed it to a representative.
The representative did not describe the emergency, NBC News reported. Blair disclosed in 2018 that she has multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system, according to the National Institutes of Health. No source links her diagnosis to the incident.
Who is investigating?
The FBI said it is responsible for investigating incidents aboard aircraft and had been contacted about a “potential assault” on a flight arriving at JFK. It declined further comment, citing a long-standing Justice Department policy on ongoing investigations. The FAA told NBC News it would investigate a passenger disturbance on the flight.
Delta did not name Blair when NBC News asked for comment. The airline said it has “zero tolerance” for unruly or unlawful behavior and that the safety of customers and crew comes first. Delta also said the flight landed ahead of schedule and that the incident had no operational impact.
What does this mean for travelers and crews?
For passengers, the case shows how incidents in the air are handled once a plane lands. Local airport police met the aircraft, and the FBI and FAA opened inquiries. Delta's statement signals that the airline treats such conduct seriously, whatever the circumstances.
For crew members, two flight attendants were injured, and one needed hospital evaluation. Delta said the flight itself ran without disruption, so other passengers appear not to have been affected beyond the incident on board.
Has Blair been involved in a similar incident before?
NBC News noted that TMZ reported a 2016 incident on a flight in which Blair had a verbal outburst. She was taken off the plane on a stretcher after landing in Los Angeles. She later told Vanity Fair that she had mixed alcohol and medication and apologized to passengers and crew. Nothing in the reports suggests the two events are connected.
Blair is known for films including “Cruel Intentions,” “Legally Blonde” and “Hellboy,” and she competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2022, according to CBS News. Fox News described its report as a developing story, and details may change as the investigations continue.
