Los Angeles couple says they were nearly crushed by ‘watermelon-size’ chunk of ice falling from JetBlue plane
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A Los Angeles couple narrowly escaped “devastating physical injury” when a watermelon-size chunk of ice plummeted from a commercial airliner passing overhead and smashed through the roof of their home, landing inches from their bed and leaving the pair in ongoing fear for their lives.
The ice fell from a JetBlue Airbus A321-231 traveling from New York City’s JFK International Airport to LAX, doing six-figures worth of physical damage and forcing the pair to move for fear of a repeat incident, according to a million-dollar lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
Following the terrifying near-miss, 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 states. It says they can “no longer sleep comfortably… without thinking of the incident,” causing persistent insomnia that has had a real-world effect on their lives.
“The insomnia has forced… Reese to turn down work as a commercial driver in the TV and Film Industry,” the complaint goes on. “The incident has overall made them anxious and depressed, feeling unsafe in what was their dream home.”
In an email on Monday, 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.”
JetBlue argued in a response filed January 9 in LA federal court that it is not liable for the destruction caused by the falling ice, claiming it had been in conformity with all “statutes, governmental regulations, and industry standards” at the time.
Reese and Ferrarini purchased the three-bed, two-bath house in the Century Heights section of Inglewood, an LA suburb just east of LAX, 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 complaint says the pair called 911 to report what had happened, and the local police and fire departments showed up to investigate.
The FAA opened its own probe into the matter, according to the complaint, which says the agency found that the aircraft in question had “a history of potable water issues dating back to July 2023.” It was allegedly responsible for a similar incident in August 2023, when it discharged another slab of “clear ice” that crashed through the roof of a home in the Boston area, the complaint states.
The shaken family living there initially thought their house had been struck by lightning, according to news reports at the time.
Ten days after the ice fell through Reese and Ferrarini’s roof, the FAA ordered a review of the plane’s potable water and drainage systems, which were found to be defective, according to the complaint. It says inspectors found misthreaded fasteners connecting a valve that caused a leak, which then froze at altitude and broke free over Reese and Ferrarini’s home.
However, the complaint contends, JetBlue should have performed the inspection a year earlier, following the incident in Shirley. Had the airline done so, it says Reese and Ferrarini’s home — and lives — would still be intact.
Ice falling from aircraft is unusual, but not unheard of. In 2016, a large piece of “frozen excrement” slammed into a home near the Canadian capital of Ottawa, destroying a section of roof and nearly hitting a woman asleep in bed. In 2023, a homeowner in England was shocked to hear what she thought was “some sort of explosion” while she was on a call for work, only to find a huge block of ice, thought to have fallen from an airplane landing at Heathrow, had ripped an enormous hole in her ceiling.
“I went up to the attic and saw ice everywhere and I was confused where it had come from — it was like something from a movie,” Carla George said at the time.
Last year, a New Jersey family living in a flight path to Newark Liberty International Airport suffered major damage to their roof when an estimated 300-pound hunk of ice plowed into their home, tearing a hole clear through to the second floor.
Reese and Ferrarini say their experience has had a “lasting and profound effect” on both of them, causing “severe emotional distress and necessitating treatment.”
In addition to the property damage, which court filings say ran some $360,000, the two claim they no longer feel safe in their own home “with the constant fear that they may be struck again by falling debris from an aircraft,” according to their complaint.
“Because they no longer feel safe in their home due to the incident, Plaintiffs are forced to move from their dream home and find another place to live for which they will incur substantial costs,” it states.
Reese and Ferrarini are demanding a combined $300,000 for emotional distress; $300,000 for pain, suffering, and inconvenice; and $40,000 for present and future medical expenses.
