NJ mom says JetBlue berated special needs toddler over mask

A New Jersey mom says a JetBlue crew humiliated her as she struggled to get her special needs child to mask up.

Jennifer Minsky of East Orange says her two-year-old son, Ezra, is on the autism spectrum, but wears a mask at school every day. However, Ezra refused to put his mask on when the family boarded a JetBlue flight to return home from vacationing in Cancun.

Minsky told CBS New York they were aware of the airline mask policy, and there were no issues on the flight out of Newark.

When Ezra refused to wear his mask on the return flight, Minsky says the crew was not helpful.

She claims she informed JetBlue in advance that her son was on the autism spectrum and even brought a letter from her doctor, but the crew on the return flight continued to insist Ezra wear a mask.

Fearing they would be kicked off the plane, Minksy and her husband finally gave their son a sleeping supplement and placed a mask on his face after he fell asleep.

A company spokesman also told CBS the family should have applied for a mask exemption before beginning their trip.