A passenger was physically restrained and secured to his seat with duct tape after an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, descended into chaos. The traveller reportedly seemed inebriated when he began screaming at the passenger seated next to him.
Violent escalation mid-air
According to witnesses, the situation escalated violently, with the man allegedly attacking another passenger, destroying his laptop, and hurling both racial and homophobic abuse.
Juan Mejia, a retired police officer aboard the flight, recalled: "Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos."
"I turned around to look, and the poor gentleman that was sitting next to him in the aisle seat, the individual had his hands around his neck and was, like, assaulting him."
Intervention and diversion
Mr Mejia and another passenger intervened to subdue the aggressive traveller. Cabin crew provided duct tape, which was reportedly used to bind his wrists, head and torso to his seat.
The plane was redirected to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, touching down approximately 15 minutes later. Local police arrested the passenger upon landing, while the FBI is reportedly considering federal charges, according to TMZ.
Airline response
American Airlines acknowledged the flight had been diverted due to a "disruptive customer". Following the passenger's removal, the aircraft resumed its journey to Newark.
A representative from American Airlines commented: "The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence."
They added: "We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding."
