Unruly Passenger Arrested After Being Restrained with Duct Tape During Flight
Passengers restrained the man with duct tape and zip ties after he allegedly used racial and anti-gay slurs and pushed a woman, witnesses said.
- On Thursday, American Airlines flight 618 from Dallas to Newark diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after a passenger became disruptive and was duct-taped to his seat by crew and fellow travelers.
- Chaos erupted roughly two hours into the flight when the passenger shouted racial and anti-gay slurs, assaulting nearby travelers. Witness Juan Mejia said, "Just like a light switch, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos."
- Retired law enforcement officer Juan Mejia and Richard Olenick intervened, restraining the man while flight attendants applied zip ties and duct tape. Photos show the passenger secured across his upper body and arms.
- Upon arrival at BWI, law enforcement and FBI agents boarded to take the passenger into custody. Witness Michelle Ng Reyes reported police physically removed him after he initially refused to deplane.
- Travel expert Peter Greenberg noted such restraints are standard protocol when passengers become unruly, enabling crews to maintain safety. American Airlines stated that customer and employee safety is their "top priority" and they "do not tolerate violence.
29 Articles
29 Articles
US man duct-taped to seat after attacking passenger mid-flight, hurling racial abuse
An American Airlines flight traveling from Dallas to Newark had to make an unexpected stop in Baltimore due to a disruptive passenger. The individual reportedly attacked another traveler and directed racial insults toward a flight attendant. Thanks to the quick actions of retired law enforcement officer Juan Mejia and a vigilant flight attendant, the passenger was subdued using zip ties and duct tape for safety.
Disruptive passenger duct-taped to first-class seat as plane makes emergency landing
By Aaron Cooper, Taylor Galgano, CNN (CNN) — A disruptive passenger was restrained with flexible handcuffs and duct-taped to a seat as his flight was diverted to make an emergency landing in Baltimore Thursday night, photos and video from other passengers showed. Richard Olenick and Juan Mejia were more than halfway through the flight when
The passenger of the American Airlines flight, who was supposed to be intoxicated to the chair by scotch for the deboche he had on board during the flight, screaming indecent and offensive lines. The supposedly intoxicated passenger, who was travelling from Dallas to Newark, handed over TMZ. The man started yelling about Jesus and the way to hell, hit a neighbor and damaged his computer, pushed a woman. When a dark-skinned flight attendant tried…
American Airlines flight crew restrained passenger with duct tape after racist tirade - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
A flight crew had to think outside the box, using duct tape to subdue a problematic passenger mid-flight. The American Airlines flight was heading toward...
The passenger was arrested and charged.
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