A bonehead tried to gain viral internet fame by announcing he was infected with the coronavirus in the middle of a flight from Toronto to Jamaica — forcing the plane to turn around and landing himself in cuffs.
James Potok, 28, told CityNews it was “simply a joke” when he stood up and declared to the plane that he had the deadly disease on Monday morning — forcing the WestJet Airlines flight to head back to Canada.
“About mid-way through the flight, I stood up, pulled my video camera out — I was going to post it to Instagram, send it to 6ixbuzz so it goes viral,” he told the outlet.
“I looked around, I said ‘can I get everybody’s attention please’ and … I followed up by saying, word-for-word, I said, ‘I just came back from Hunan province, the capital of the coronavirus … I’m not feeling too well. Thank you.’”
But no one laughed, he admits — instead, the crew quickly donned face masks, and he was booed off the flight by other passengers when it touched down back at Toronto Pearson Airport.
He was then arrested and charged with mischief and a breach of recognizance after doctors determined he was free of symptoms.
Potok, an aspiring musician, nevertheless insists the prank was “good for publicity.”
“It would be something else if I said, ‘Hey guys, I have a bomb strapped to me,’” Potok told CityNews. “People blew it out of proportion.”
“In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best thing to do,” he admitted.
Potok is due back in court on March 9.