‘I don’t remember any of it’: Passenger duct-taped to plane seat breaks silence after viral flight meltdown

The passenger at the center of the viral duct tape images from American Airlines Flight 618 has finally spoken, and his explanation raises more questions than it answers. Arthur “Layne” Lundeen, a 67-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, told a Maryland court he has no memory of the episode that forced his Dallas to Newark flight to divert.

Lundeen appeared before a district court commissioner the day after the September 3 flight and said he had consumed two screwdrivers, which he described as vodka mixed with orange juice. He remembers sitting in first class and having a normal conversation with the passenger seated next to him, but everything after that point is a blank, according to The Banner.

When the commissioner read the allegations aloud, Lundeen reportedly appeared genuinely surprised and asked whether he was being accused of assaulting a police officer. No established medical explanation supports the claimed memory loss, which stands as his own account rather than proof of an alcohol blackout.

The rabbi in the next seat says he was attacked at 30,000 feet

The passenger sitting right next to him was Jonathan Cahn, an author and Messianic Jewish rabbi. Cahn said the two men talked for roughly two hours before the conversation shifted toward religion and his ministry work. He alleges that Lundeen began yelling profanities and antisemitic remarks before putting his hands around Cahn’s neck.

Cahn also claims that Lundeen tried to damage his laptop and injured his arm during the physical confrontation. Police did not detail those allegations in charging documents, and they have not been tested in court.

The disruption reached well beyond the two men in first class. Juan Mejia, a former law enforcement officer on the flight, described the cabin shifting from quiet to total chaos in an instant. Mejia alleged that Lundeen directed vulgar language, along with racial and homophobic slurs, at passengers and American Airlines staff.

Mejia and another passenger stepped in to help the crew subdue him, and Mejia has alleged that Lundeen bit his hand. Crew members handed over the tape as the first set of restraints did not hold. Images that circulated online show him duct taped to his seat, wrapped around the head and torso.

Flight 618 landed at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport around 10:15 PM, and Maryland transportation police took him into custody at the gate. He faces two misdemeanor charges, second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. The assault count alone carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine under Maryland law.

The court released Lundeen on his own recognizance without bail, though it ordered him to abstain from alcohol and any drug other than prescribed medication. The fallout has also reached his professional life, as Long Realty ended its affiliation with him once reports of the incident surfaced. The Arizona firm said the conduct described in those reports was inconsistent with the professionalism and respect it expects.

Federal charges have not followed the state case, as investigators are still reviewing what happened in the air. However, interfering with a flight crew can carry up to 20 years in prison, and the FAA can propose civil penalties of up to $43,658 per violation.

The case also lands in the wake of the pandemic era surge in air rage. The FAA says the rate of reported incidents has dropped more than 80% since the record highs of early 2021, although the agency notes recent increases show the problem has not gone away.

Lundeen is scheduled to stand trial on October 19 in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and the FBI has said it will consult federal prosecutors on whether charges should follow the state case.