Man charged with attacking JetBlue attendant

An allegedly drunk and belligerent JetBlue passenger who had to be subdued by an NYPD officer on a Thanksgiving weekend flight from the Dominican Republic to Kennedy Airport was released on bail Monday in Brooklyn federal court.

Antonio Ynoa, 22, of Queens, faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of punching a flight crew member who tried to get him to stop swigging duty-free alcohol and turn over his bottle on JetBlue Flight 832 Saturday night, authorities said.

After he punched the flight attendant, another passenger -- identified as off-duty NYPD Officer Anibal Mercado -- joined the fray and managed to subdue and handcuff Ynoa, according to the complaint. The episode got front-page treatment from city tabloids Monday.

Ynoa did not enter a plea Monday, and was released on a $200,000 bail bond to be secured by posting of $50,000 cash and signatures of two family members. He declined to comment as he left court in a tank-top undershirt, except to point to a bruise on his shoulder and say, "They messed with me."

His brother Luis Lizardo told reporters that Ynoa had suffered head injuries in a 2005 accident involving an NYPD police car, went into a coma and spent two months in the hospital, and eventually settled a civil suit against the city for $500,000.

Lizardo said his brother still suffered from headaches and other aftereffects. "It makes him angry," Lizardo said. "He's a very calm person, but he has his moments."

According to a Newsday account at the time, Ynoa, then 15, was on a motor scooter that slammed into a police cruiser in Brooklyn. He wasn't wearing a helmet, and was thrown from the scooter. City officials said the case was settled in 2009, and the amount was $900,000.

Family members said Ynoa had been in the Dominican Republic visiting his wife. He is charged with assault and interfering with a flight crew in the performance of its duties.

With AP