A disruptive passenger was restrained with flexible handcuffs and duct tape after becoming violent aboard an American Airlines flight on Thursday evening, forcing the aircraft to divert and make an emergency landing in Baltimore, according to witnesses and footage shared by fellow travellers.
American Airlines Flight 618 was travelling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark when the crew reported a passenger disturbance, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, cited by the US broadcasters.
Unruly Aircraft Passenger: What triggered the disturbance on board?
Passengers Richard Olenick and Juan Mejia said they were seated two rows in front of the man when he began behaving erratically more than halfway through the flight. A flight attendant initially attempted to calm him down, but Olenick said the man grew increasingly agitated before striking the passenger seated beside him and then a woman who tried to step in.
“We don’t know exactly what happened, what triggered it,” Olenick said, adding that “whatever it was, it was pretty intense.”
Unruly Aircraft Passenger: How was the passenger restrained?
Once the confrontation turned physical, Mejia, a retired New Jersey police officer, got up to intervene, with Olenick following close behind. A flight attendant supplied the two men and a third passenger with a zip tie, which they used to bind the man’s wrists as he demanded they get off him. According to Olenick and Mejia, the man then bit Mejia and attempted to bite Olenick as well, prompting the group to use duct tape supplied by crew to further restrain him. The men said they deliberately avoided taping over his mouth to ensure he could still breathe.
Olenick said the tape reduced the man’s ability to move but did not fully resolve the situation, noting he continued pushing and trying to get up even after being restrained. The flight was diverted and landed safely in Baltimore, where the passenger was removed before the aircraft continued on to Newark.
Unruly Aircraft Passenger: Is restraining passengers with tape a common practice?
Duct tape and flexible handcuffs are carried on many commercial aircraft specifically for use in restraining violent or disruptive travellers, and Thursday’s episode is not the first of its kind. In 2024, a passenger who attempted to force open a cabin door and injured a flight attendant during a flight from Milwaukee to Dallas was similarly restrained with tape until the aircraft could land.
Unruly Aircraft Passenger: How widespread is the problem of unruly passengers?
The FAA said it has logged more than 1,160 unruly passenger incidents so far this year across US carriers. Beyond potential criminal charges, the agency can pursue civil fines exceeding 43,000 dollars against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members while in flight.
Unruly Aircraft Passenger: What’s next for the passenger involved?
Neither American Airlines nor the FAA has yet released the identity of the man involved or confirmed whether charges will be filed. Cases involving in-flight violence are typically referred to federal authorities, given that interference with a flight crew is a federal offence in the United States regardless of where the aircraft ultimately lands.
