Man charged with attacking JetBlue attendant

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