Instagrammer arrested for joking about coronavirus during a flight

A social media star was charged for mischief ‘yelling he had coronavirus’ in the middle of a flight from Toronto to Jamaica, forcing the jet to turn back for an emergency landing at the Toronto airport.

Keeping in view that there are four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Canada.

28-years-old Potok Philippe, real name James Potok, was arrested and charged with mischief on Monday after crew on board the WestJet plane from Toronto to Jamaica were alerted because of his act and the jet was forced to turn back.

Reportedly, a second flight was also canceled as a result of the incident.

He was given a mask and gloves by the cabin crew and was told to move to the back of the plane. And upon forced landing, he was escorted off a plane in a mask and gloves for allegedly yelling he had coronavirus as part of a prank to go viral.

As being reported, WestJet Flight 2702 from Toronto to Montego Bay, Jamaica, was forced to turn around about two hours into the flight on Monday and returned to Pearson International Airport after Instagrammer James Potok joked on board that he had traveled to the region of China where the virus originated, where hundreds of people have died and millions are quarantined.

Later while talking to media, Potok said: “I stood up, I said, ‘Can I have everybody’s attention, I just came back from Hunan province.’ And that was it.”

According to Toronto’s City News that he had announced: “I just came back from Hunan province, the capital of the coronavirus…I’m not feeling too well. Thank you.”