Miami Herald: Jet jumper, off life support, dies at 29
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Feb. 07, 2006, DEERFIELD BEACH
Jet jumper, off life support, dies at 29
Troy Rigby, who caused a stir on a departing plane two weeks ago, then had a heart attack in a jail cell, died Monday.
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH
jlebovich@MiamiHerald.com
A 29-year-old man who jumped off a Newark-bound flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport two weeks ago died Monday afternoon, about an hour after his family removed him from life support, a family member said.
Troy Anthony Rigby was in a Broward jail when he suffered a heart attack on Jan. 26.
''No one seems to be able to tell us why his heart stopped,'' Merlene Rigby said of her brother's heart attack.
She spoke at North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach about 3 p.m., the same time she said her brother was being removed from life support.
''My mother came to terms yesterday and decided it's time to let him go,'' Merlene Rigby said.
Troy Rigby died at 4:19 p.m., his sister said.
Jail officials found Rigby unresponsive during a routine check, and he was hospitalized, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
''[Doctors] did a lot of tests on him, and he has zero chance of coming back,'' his sister said Monday.
Doctors don't know what caused the illness, she said.
Troy Rigby suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He was hospitalized several times in 2003 and 2004 in New Jersey but never for heart problems, she said.
''Although he was not mentally fit,'' she said, ``he was physically fit.''
Merlene Rigby said her brother was ''always full of life,'' someone who liked to have fun and enjoyed driving in his car and listening to reggae music.
Merlene Rigby was not able to speak with her brother after his arrest, and he was not conscious for his 29th birthday on Feb. 1.
The Broward County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy, then Rigby will be buried in Irvington, N.J., his sister said.
Rigby became irate and combative on Jan. 25 while he was in the BSO jail. He was given shots of Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, and Prolixin, an antipsychotic, Merlene Rigby said.
Last week, the Broward Sheriff's Office launched a professional compliance investigation to determine ''exactly what has transpired in his case,'' BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal said.
The investigation was ''initiated after he was found unresponsive in the jail,'' Leljedal said. ``I'm sure that investigation will encompass everything to do with him.''
Several passengers and crew tried restraining Rigby on Jan. 23 when he ran to the front of the plane and banged on windows and the cockpit door. One passenger was bitten when he tried to restrain the unruly Rigby.
When the pilot depressurized the cabin, Rigby opened the plane's emergency exit door and jumped at least 10 feet onto the tarmac below, then ran toward the terminal.
Sheriff's deputies stunned him multiple times with a Taser before he was subdued.
Jet jumper, off life support, dies at 29
Troy Rigby, who caused a stir on a departing plane two weeks ago, then had a heart attack in a jail cell, died Monday.
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH
jlebovich@MiamiHerald.com
A 29-year-old man who jumped off a Newark-bound flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport two weeks ago died Monday afternoon, about an hour after his family removed him from life support, a family member said.
Troy Anthony Rigby was in a Broward jail when he suffered a heart attack on Jan. 26.
''No one seems to be able to tell us why his heart stopped,'' Merlene Rigby said of her brother's heart attack.
She spoke at North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach about 3 p.m., the same time she said her brother was being removed from life support.
''My mother came to terms yesterday and decided it's time to let him go,'' Merlene Rigby said.
Troy Rigby died at 4:19 p.m., his sister said.
Jail officials found Rigby unresponsive during a routine check, and he was hospitalized, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
''[Doctors] did a lot of tests on him, and he has zero chance of coming back,'' his sister said Monday.
Doctors don't know what caused the illness, she said.
Troy Rigby suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He was hospitalized several times in 2003 and 2004 in New Jersey but never for heart problems, she said.
''Although he was not mentally fit,'' she said, ``he was physically fit.''
Merlene Rigby said her brother was ''always full of life,'' someone who liked to have fun and enjoyed driving in his car and listening to reggae music.
Merlene Rigby was not able to speak with her brother after his arrest, and he was not conscious for his 29th birthday on Feb. 1.
The Broward County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy, then Rigby will be buried in Irvington, N.J., his sister said.
Rigby became irate and combative on Jan. 25 while he was in the BSO jail. He was given shots of Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, and Prolixin, an antipsychotic, Merlene Rigby said.
Last week, the Broward Sheriff's Office launched a professional compliance investigation to determine ''exactly what has transpired in his case,'' BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal said.
The investigation was ''initiated after he was found unresponsive in the jail,'' Leljedal said. ``I'm sure that investigation will encompass everything to do with him.''
Several passengers and crew tried restraining Rigby on Jan. 23 when he ran to the front of the plane and banged on windows and the cockpit door. One passenger was bitten when he tried to restrain the unruly Rigby.
When the pilot depressurized the cabin, Rigby opened the plane's emergency exit door and jumped at least 10 feet onto the tarmac below, then ran toward the terminal.
Sheriff's deputies stunned him multiple times with a Taser before he was subdued.
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