A man throwing physical and verbal abuse at fellow passengers and flight attendants on an American Airlines flight was physically restrained with duct tape. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Richard Olenick and Juan Mejia were more than halfway through the flight when a man two rows behind them in the first-class section started to become belligerent, Olenick said.<\/p>\n
American Airlines Flight 618 was traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark when the crew reported the passenger disturbance, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.<\/p>\n
A flight attendant tried to control the situation but the man got increasingly agitated, started to hit the passenger next to him and then hit a woman who tried to intervene, Olenick said.<\/p>\n
Upon seeing things turn physical, Mejia, who is a retired New Jersey police officer, got up and Olenick followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was starting to become abusive and started using profanity,\u201d Olenick said. The man also used \u201cracial and homophobic slurs,\u201d according to both Olenick and Mejia.<\/p>\n
A flight attendant gave Olenick, Mejia and a third person a ziptie, which they used to restrain the man\u2019s wrists as he told them to \u201cGet off me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man then bit Mejia and attempted to bite Olenick, which prompted the three men to start using duct tape from a flight attendant to restrain him, both men said. Following Mejia\u2019s advice, Olenick said they made sure not to put tape over the man\u2019s mouth so he wouldn\u2019t have issues breathing.<\/p>\n
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The unruly passenger was restrained until the flight landed and law enforcement officers were able to board the plane and remove him. The unruly passenger was restrained until the flight landed and law enforcement officers were able to board the plane and remove him. (Courtesy Richard Olenick via CNN Newsource) <\/p>\n
\u201cPhysically 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,\u201d Olenick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety\u2004\u200band\u2004\u200bsecurity\u2004\u200bof our customers\u2004\u200band team members\u2004\u200bis our top\u2004\u200bpriority and\u2004\u200bwe\u2004\u200bdo not\u2004\u200btolerate violence,\u201d American Airlines said in a statement. \u201cWe thank our\u2004\u200bteam members for\u2004\u200btheir\u2004\u200bprofessionalism\u2004\u200band\u2004\u200bour customers\u2004\u200bfor\u2004\u200btheir\u2004\u200bunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the next 15 minutes, Olenick sat on the restrained passenger\u2019s lap until the plane made its emergency landing in Maryland. Olenick attempted to sit back in his seat at one point, but he had to quickly return \u201cbecause the man started acting up again,\u201d Olenick said.<\/p>\n
The 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks next week was already on both of their minds, Olenick said, making the situation even more concerning.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuan being a being a cop, he lost people. I was probably three miles from it when it happened, so it\u2019s a very sensitive time and then this guy starts, you know, pulling this stuff,\u201d Olenick said.<\/p>\n
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police met the plane after it safely landed at Baltimore\/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and arrested one man on state charges, an FBI statement said. Officials did not name the man.<\/p>\n
After the passenger was removed, the flight continued on its way to Newark, Olenick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly what happened, what triggered it,\u201d Olenick added. \u201cBut whatever it was, it was pretty intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Richard Olenick stands next to the unruly passenger on the American Airlines flight. Richard Olenick stands next to the unruly passenger on the American Airlines flight. (Courtesy Juan Mejia via CNN Newsource) <\/p>\n
Duct tape and flexible handcuffs are found on many commercial planes for use in restraining violent or disruptive passengers.<\/p>\n