‘It was pretty intense’: Man turned violent on a Dallas-to-Newark flight, so passengers zip-tied and duct-taped him until it landed in Baltimore

Photos and video shared by other travelers showed an unruly passenger held down with flexible handcuffs and duct tape during an American Airlines flight Thursday night after the plane was diverted for an emergency landing in Baltimore, according to CNN.

Richard Olenick said he and Juan Mejia were more than halfway to their destination when a man seated two rows behind them in first class began acting belligerent.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that American Airlines Flight 618 was en route from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark when the crew reported a passenger disturbance. Olenick said a flight attendant tried to manage the situation, but the man grew more agitated, struck the passenger beside him, and then struck a woman who tried to step in.

Passengers used a zip tie and duct tape after the man bit a retired officer on board

Mejia, a retired New Jersey police officer, stood up once the encounter turned physical, and Olenick followed. “He was starting to become abusive and started using profanity,” Olenick said. Both Olenick and Mejia said the man also used racial and homophobic slurs. Disruptive behavior on flights can take many forms, such as when a passenger was caught airing out a used sneaker through the air vents until a flight attendant intervened. 

A flight attendant handed Olenick, Mejia, and a third person a zip tie. They used it to bind the man’s wrists while he told them to “Get off me.”

The man then bit Mejia and tried to bite Olenick, both men said, which led the three of them to wrap him with duct tape supplied by a flight attendant. Olenick said they followed Mejia’s advice and kept tape off the man’s mouth so he would not have trouble breathing.

“Physically it lessened his ability to move for sure, but it did not solve the issue. He was still pushing and resisting and trying to get up,” Olenick said. Olenick sat on the restrained passenger’s lap for the next 15 minutes as the plane headed for an emergency landing in Maryland. He tried to return to his own seat at one point but said he had to move back quickly after the man started acting up again.

Olenick said the approaching 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks was already on both men’s minds. “Juan being a being a cop, he lost people. I was probably three miles from it when it happened, so it’s a very sensitive time and then this guy starts, you know, pulling this stuff,” Olenick said.

The passenger stayed restrained until the flight landed and officers came aboard to take him off the plane. An FBI statement said Maryland Transportation Authority Police met the aircraft after it landed safely at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and arrested one man on state charges. Officials did not release the man’s name.

Olenick said the flight later continued to Newark once the passenger was removed. “We don’t know exactly what happened, what triggered it,” Olenick added. “But whatever it was, it was pretty intense.” Such incidents of in-flight disruptions have occurred before, like when a man allegedly tried to open a plane’s emergency exit mid-flight, saying he felt like doing so. 

American Airlines said in a statement, “The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence.” The airline added, “We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”

Many commercial aircraft carry duct tape and flexible handcuffs for use if a passenger becomes violent or disruptive. In 2024, a passenger flying from Milwaukee to Dallas who tried to force open a door and injured a flight attendant was duct-taped to a seat. 

The FAA said more than 1,160 unruly passenger incidents have been reported so far this year. The agency can also seek fines of more than $43,000 against a passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members.