The man responsible for taking down an allegedly armed passenger on a flight to Sydney has revealed himself as a family friend of milestone Sydney defender Jake Lloyd, who will celebrate his 250th AFL game on Friday night.
Barry Clark was set to fly from Melbourne to Sydney on Thursday before a teenager allegedly in possession of a shotgun boarded the plane.
Clark was integral in halting and taking down the rogue passenger, subduing the threat before police arrived on the scene.
Venturing to the New South Wales capital, Clark revealed himself as a family friend to Lloyd, whose parents were also the flight.
"I'm with my friends and one of my best friends, Tony Lloyd, his son plays his 250th game tomorrow night for the Sydney Swans," Clark told the ABC.
"We were going up a night early to enjoy ourselves. The airline has been fantastic and they've got us on a flight (Friday) morning and will get to the game."
Clark detailed his actions in the lead-up to the scary encounter, revealing he had lunged at the 17-year-old, who he believed was "trying to get into the cockpit".
"The lovely air hostess was questioning this bloke who had come, who was dressed as a worker, and he got agitated," Clark said.
"Before we know it, there was a shotgun that appeared and I was worried about her being shot.
"All I could do was push her out of the way, get the gun out of the way, break that and throw it down the stairs and then put him in a hold and throw him to the ground until the police came.
BREAKING: A man has allegedly attempted to board a Jetstar flight at Avalon Airport with a gun. He was put into a headlock by a passenger until police arrived. #avalonairport #arrest #citizensarrest #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/jFBkfGFjE3
โ 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) March 6, 2025
"I didn't know what his full intention was, but it looked he was trying to get into the cockpit actually."
Lloyd confirmed his parents were safe from the incident and are still set to see him face Hawthorn at the SCG on Friday night.
"My thoughts are with everyone on board as it must have been a terrifying situation," Lloyd said, via 7 News.
"It sounds like there were some incredibly brave actions from Barry and others to keep everyone safe.
"I'm grateful that my parents are OK and I can't wait to see them when they arrive in Sydney."
The Sydney and Hawthorn match is scheduled for 7:40pm (AEDT) on Friday night for what will be the opening game of the 2025 AFL season.
