On January 6, 2025, authorities found human remains in the wheel well of a commercial JetBlue airplane that traveled from New York to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Months later, after extensive DNA testing, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the remains belong to two teenagers from the Dominican Republic, 18-year-old Jeik Lusi and 16-year-old Elvis Castillo.
They were found in the landing gear of the plane, the wheels used for takeoff, taxiing, and landing. While police have yet to release any specifics about the cause of death, they speculated how their last moments might have gone.
Both boys were found dead.
Deputies from the airport district received a call reporting the discovery of the two teens during a routine maintenance check, the Miami Herald reported. They arrived on the scene at 11:30 p.m. Shortly after, paramedics followed, pronouncing both of the boys dead. Authorities are still unsure how the boys gained access to the landing gear. While officials were exploring a homicide investigation, experts already suspected that the boys likely froze to death.
Gary Sheradsky, a South Florida airline-certified pilot and flight instructor, explained that the wheel well is not pressurized — meaning oxygen levels are not stabilized and it’s not heated like the cabin.
“It was definitely below zero. It’s probably an unbelievable way to die,” he said. According to Flying Mag, temperatures drop 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet of altitude. Most commercial airlines fly at 40,000 feet, the Daily Mail reports. The temperature in New York that day in January was 32 degrees. In flight, the temperature in the wheel well was likely -88 degrees.
Authorities traveled to the Dominican Republic to investigate.
Now, months later, authorities have confirmed both boys died from asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen, NBC Miami reports. Their mothers identified their bodies with the help of photos and DNA. Elvis’ mother, Ironelis Castillo, told authorities a driver from their neighborhood took her son to a local airport in the Dominican Republic on January 4. She had not heard from or seen him since.
The plane made several stops before someone discovered the boys’ bodies.
Before arriving in Fort Lauderdale, the plane made stops in Jamaica, Salt Lake City, and New York. The plane had also been in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, according to the New York Post. Authorities still don’t know how the boys managed to get into such a cramped space and if they did so in an effort to stow away on the flight.
“This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred,” JetBlue said in a statement from January.
