An Inglewood couple is suing JetBlue after narrowly escaping being crushed when a watermelon-size block of ice allegedly fell from a commercial airliner and smashed through the roof of their Inglewood home, landing inches away from their bed, according to court papers obtained Tuesday.
The ice chunk allegedly fell around 8 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2024, from a JetBlue Airbus traveling from New York City’s JFK International Airport to LAX, forcing the couple to move for fear of a repeat incident, according to the complaint filed in L.A. federal court.
After the near-miss, homeowners Michael Reese and Leah Ferrarini would “cringe in fear with each plane that passed over their home which is approximately one every five minutes,” the complaint alleges. It contends the pair can “no longer sleep comfortably … without thinking of the incident.”
Reese and Ferrarini purchased the three-bed, two-bath house in the Century Heights section of Inglewood, in June 2020, according to the complaint.
“They worked with a contractor’s team to renovate and build their dream home where they intended to reside for many years,” it says.
However, “this dream was ruined… on January 1, 2024, at or about 8:09 pm,” when “a large block of ice, the size of [a] watermelon,” suddenly slammed into their bedroom, directly by their pillows, and nearly striking them, the complaint continues. It came from JetBlue flight 2715, which was directly above Reese and Ferrarini’s house at that exact moment, according to the complaint.
The suit contends that persistent insomnia forced Reese to turn down work as a commercial driver in the TV and film industry.
“The incident has overall made them anxious and depressed, feeling unsafe in what was their dream home,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday following its removal from Los Angeles Superior Court.
The suit, which says the projectile caused more than $300,000 in damage to the home near LAX, seeks a combined $1 million in damages for emotional distress, pain, suffering and inconvenience, plus present and future medical expenses.
In an email Tuesday, a JetBlue spokesperson said, “At JetBlue, safety is our number one priority and guides everything we do. Due to ongoing litigation, we will not be commenting on this matter.”
The airline argued in court documents that JetBlue is not liable for any damages because it has conformed to all “statutes, governmental regulations, and industry standards.”
An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration found that a review of the aircraft’s maintenance and engineering system revealed a history of potable water issues dating back to July 2023, and the aircraft was suspected of dropping ice on a property in Shirley, Massachusetts in August 2023, the lawsuit states.
City. News Service contributed to this report.
