Police at a Florida airport removed a passenger from a Cleveland-bound flight after a woman carrying an “emotional support squirrel” refused to get off the plane.
Passengers on Frontier Airlines Flight 1612 at Orlando International Aiport Tuesday night were told by flight crews that there was a “situation” and everyone needed to get off the plane.
“Everyone was a little panicked. You expect the worst when they say something like that,” Passenger Brandon Nixon told the Associated Press. “A lot of people were asking questions. People wanted to know what was going on.”
It wasn’t until passengers reboarded that they found out that a woman with a squirrel was the cause of their delayed flight.
Frontier told the Associated Press that the passenger stated in her reservation she was bringing an emotional support animal with her on the flight. The passenger, however, did not indicate it was a squirrel.
Rodents, including squirrels, are not listed as an emotional support animal Frontier allows on their flights, according to its website.
Frontier said the police were called because the passenger refused to leave the plane.
Nixon, who captured video of the woman when she was first escorted through the terminal, said her fist were pumping in the air as she clutched her carry-on bag with the squirrel on her lap.
“I knew I had to capture that moment just to show it. It’s such an odd thing. Something you don’t see every day,” the 24-year-old told the Associated Press.
Passengers made it to Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport at 11:57 p.m. EST, taking off two hours after the incident.
Nixon said many of the passengers didn’t mind the delay because of the unique situation.
“This is going to be a story to remember for the rest of our lives,” he told the Associated Press.