Passenger duct-taped, zip-tied on one WILD flight (video)
· The South African
A disruptive passenger was restrained with zip ties and duct tape after his behaviour forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Baltimore last week.
Visit michezonews.co.za for more information.
American Airlines Flight 618 was travelling from Dallas Fort Worth to Newark when the crew reported a passenger disturbance.
The flight then diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the diversion.
How the situation unfolded
Passengers Richard Olenick and Juan Mejia, seated near the man in first class, said the chaos began roughly two hours into the flight.
According to Olenick, the man became increasingly agitated, hit the passenger seated next to him, and then struck a woman who tried to intervene.
A flight attendant gave zip ties to Olenick, Mejia and a third passenger which they used to restrain the man’s wrists.
When the passenger bit Mejia and attempted to bite Olenick, the group used duct tape provided by the crew to further restrain him.
They avoided his mouth so he could still breathe.
A passenger was duct-taped to his seat after allegedly making racist and anti-gay remarks on an American Airlines flight.
— Complex (@Complex) September 4, 2026
According to TMZ, the man allegedly used the N-word toward a Black flight attendant and became violent, hitting another passenger and pushing a woman who… pic.twitter.com/GuqwkeEdoh
Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, spoke to CBS News. He said he turned to see the man with his hands around another passenger’s neck.
Olenick told CNN the restraint “lessened his ability to move for sure, but it did not solve the issue.” He added that the man kept pushing and resisting throughout.
What happened after landing
KVOA has since identified the man as 67-year-old Arthur Layne Lundeen of Tucson, Arizona, a real estate agent who has since lost his job.
He was restrained for around 15 minutes before the plane touched down, at which point law enforcement met the aircraft and took him into custody.
The Maryland Transit Authority says he now faces charges of disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.
American Airlines confirmed the diversion in a statement, saying: “The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence.”
Incidents like this are a genuinely sobering reminder of how quickly a routine flight can turn dangerous, and how much responsibility often falls on ordinary passengers in the moment.
Have you ever witnessed a mid-flight incident like this one?
Let us know in the comments below …