Jon Maravilla is extremely lucky to be alive.
Members of the US figure skating community were traveling on the commercial jet that collided with a military helicopter on Wednesday, but one of the team members had to miss that flight.
19-year-old Jon Maravilla was set to board the doomed flight after a skating competition, but his dog saved him from rescuers having to retrieve him from the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
On Wednesday afternoon, the skater took to his Instagram story to share live updates as he awaited the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to the US capital.
At one point, he shared a picture of the airport and wrote that he wasn’t allowed past the gate.
“Get me tf out of Kansas please,” he said.
Maravilla would later share a picture of himself driving on the road and said, “14-hour journey begins.”
🚨BREAKING ➕POSITIVE➕NEWS📰
U.S. figure skater Jon Maravilla arrived to board Flight 5342, but was turned away at the gate because his dog was too big. Jon Maravilla had to drive for what he thought was an inconvenient 14 hours, but those hours and his dog saved his life. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mt0w1tc9fn
— Free the World 🇺🇲🌏🦅 (@PatriotVerity) January 30, 2025
He had no clue that the detour would miraculously save his life.
Jon Maravilla Breaks His Silence
American figure skater Jon Maravilla was denied entry to the American Airlines plane that collided with a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
He has his dog to thank for that, as his animal was too large for carry-on.
The 19-year-old told Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti he decided to drive after he was denied from boarding the American Airlines flight 5342.
Maravilla claimed that 14 skaters, as well as parents and coaches, were on board the flight.
He said he didn’t want to “name names” and said the horrific crash was a “tragedy.”
