SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities on Tuesday took a 17-year-old into custody after he opened the emergency exit of a jet preparing to taxi at San Francisco International Airport, jumped onto the wing and dropped down to the tarmac, an airport spokesman said. 
 
 The bizarre incident unfolded at about 2:30 p.m. as Copa Airlines Flight 208 from Panama City was waiting to taxi to its arrival gate, according to a statement released by SFO spokesman Doug Yakel. 
 
 “Apparently he slid down the wing onto the tarmac,” said Yakel, adding that the boy was not injured. 
 
 An airfield construction crew confronted the teen and held him until San Francisco police arrived to take him into custody. He was later handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Yakel said. 
 
 The boy was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation, Yakel said Wednesday. Related Articles Teen evaluated after jumping from plane’s emergency exit when it landed at SFO 
 
 The boy was not identified, but he is a U.S. citizen and was traveling by himself, according to the statement. 
 
 Passengers said the boy seemed fidgety and anxious throughout the flight. He also acted so fast, no one had a chance to stop him. 
 
 Sophia Gibson, of San Jose, said people sitting next to him were shocked when he jumped out of the jet and onto the wing. 
 
 “It was as if he was like flying out, like it was really fast,” Gibson told NBC Bay Area. 
 
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 Matt Crowder, of Atherton, said people sitting near the exit row stood up when the boy jumped out and started to shout. 
 
 “They were yelling, ‘Tell the flight attendants. Relay the message back. The door’s open. Someone jumped off,'” Crowder told the television station. “It was pretty crazy.” 
 
 Passenger Isaac Rodrigues said the jet sat on the tarmac for about an hour before being allowed to continue to the gate. Yakel said no runways or other flights were affected. 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. 
 
 Like our Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from the Bay Area and beyond. ||||| A teenager was detained Tuesday after opening an emergency exit and jumping from a plane after it landed at San Francisco International Airport. Jean Elle reports. (Published Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017) 
 
 A teenager detained Tuesday after opening an emergency exit and jumping from a plane after it landed at San Francisco International Airport was released by Customs and Border Protection later that day and turned over to San Francisco police. 
 
 The teen — whose name authorities won't release — is currently under a psychiatric evaluation. Any charges against him are unlikely, officials said. 
 
 
 
 The incident took place at 2:30 p.m. after COPA Flight 208 from Panama City landed at SFO, and was waiting to taxi to its arrival gate, airport officials said. 
 
 A 17-year-old opened the emergency exit door on COPA Flight 208 and exited the aircraft onto the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport. (Aug. 1, 2017) 
 
 Photo credit: Anielka Ruiz 
 
 The 17-year-old boy opened up the overwing emergency exit door, exited the aircraft and started running on the tarmac. 
 
 The teen, a U.S. citizen, was accosted by a construction crew working nearby on the airfield. 
 
 "Right as the plane landed, a kid opened the emergency exit, jumped out onto the wing and then slipped off," said Matt Crowder of Atherton, who was on the plane. 
 
 "It was as if he was like flying out, like it was really fast," said Sophia Gibson, another passenger. 
 
 
 
 People sitting near the exit row stood up when the boy jumped out and started to shout, others said. 
 
 "They were yelling, 'Tell the flight attendants. Relay the message back. The door's open. Someone jumped off,'" Crowder said. "It was pretty crazy." 
 
 
 
 No runways were affected, and there was no operational impact as a result, SFO spokeperson Doug Yakel said. The teen was not injured, but was transported to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation. 
 
 Johnny Escobar saw the airline as it taxied on the tarmac. He posted a video on Facebook which showed the plane with the emergency exit door open with the following caption: "You see it all at SFO. Copa Airlines lands at SFO and a passenger could not wait until they got to the gate. So said passenger opens the over wing emergency exit and jumps out on to runway 28L." 
 
 Escobar said the passenger reportedly jumped out near Terminal 2 and the airplane came to a stop at Gate 82, which is at Terminal 3. 
 
 "I noticed that the plane was taxiing with one of the emergency exit windows in the open position ... I found that to be odd since airplanes are not supposed to move with any doors open and, much less on an active taxiway," he said. "Moments later I found out that a passenger had opened the emergency exit window and slid down the wing and on to the tarmac." 
 
 
 
 Gonzo Rojas contributed to this report.
– A teenage passenger apparently impatient for his plane to reach a gate at San Francisco International Airport opened an emergency exit, slid down the plane's wing, fell to the ground, then started running Tuesday, officials say. Passengers say the 17-year-old US citizen, who was traveling alone, had appeared "anxious" and "fidgety" throughout the Copa Airlines flight from Panama City, per KGO and the San Jose Mercury News. Still, they were shocked when he stood from his seat, busted out, and "slipped off" the wing minutes after the plane landed around 2:30pm, a passenger tells NBC Los Angeles. The man says it all happened too fast for any other passengers on board to react. "They were yelling, 'Tell the flight attendants. Relay the message back. The door's open. Someone jumped off,'" he says. "It was pretty crazy." The teen, who was uninjured, was seized by a construction crew on the tarmac and taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection, says an airport official. He was also reportedly taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Meanwhile, "a Copa crew member closed the exit door, and the aircraft proceeded to the gate," the airline says in a statement, per KGO. "All other passengers and crew disembarked safely."