Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamina Johnson Smith, has confirmed that the two deceased stowaways discovered in the wheel well of a JetBlue aircraft in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are not Jamaican nationals.
“UPDATE regarding the 2 deceased stowaways recently discovered in the wheel well of an aircraft in Fort Lauderdale. Further information received, now indicates that the individuals are not Jamaican. We still, however, await formal reports as investigations continue,” Johnson Smith announced on social media platform X.
The grim discovery was made on Monday night during a routine post-flight inspection of JetBlue Flight 1801, which had arrived from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office reported that a gate technician found two men in the aircraft’s landing gear compartment. Authorities confirmed the men were deceased, referring to them as “Signal 7,” a code for fatalities.
The Airbus A320 had a busy schedule on Monday, flying from Kingston, Jamaica, to New York early in the morning before heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, and finally Fort Lauderdale. Its brief stop in Jamaica had sparked speculation that the stowaways could be Jamaican. However, Johnson Smith’s statement ruled out this possibility.
JetBlue has launched an investigation into how the individuals accessed the aircraft and why they were in the landing gear compartment. Flight tracking data from FlightAware shows the plane was in service nearly all day, raising questions about security measures at the airports involved.
The bodies, reportedly in a state of severe decomposition, are being examined by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the causes of death. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
