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Florida man charged with punching out airplane window in flight

The Associated Press

A passenger accused of punching out an airplane window during a flight from Las Vegas to Florida could face 20 years in federal prison if convicted of damaging an aircraft while it was operating, authorities said.

Ryan J. Marchione, 24, of Venice, Fla., was arrested after the American West flight landed Wednesday morning at Tampa International Airport.

He was accused of shattering a plastic shield covering a glass window and disconnecting its frame during Tuesday's overnight flight, according to an FBI affidavit in the case.

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The punch "basically exposed the exterior of the aircraft," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ernest Peluso said during a Thursday detention hearing.

U.S. Magistrate Thomas Wilson ordered Marchione released on $25,000 bail and home detention with electronic monitoring.

Marchione "woke abruptly from his sleep and turned to the passenger seated in 7B ... raised a clenched fist to his shoulder as if he was going to strike the passenger in 7B, then suddenly turned and struck the exterior window," said the affidavit by FBI Agent Daniel S. Wierzbicki.

Marchione's lawyer, Thomas Ostrander, said the punch appeared to have been spontaneous.

"Perhaps it was some sort of a psychotic episode as a result of drug abuse," Ostrander said.

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