A passenger is duct-taped to an airplane seat on board an American Airlines flight to Newark from DFW Airport on September 3, 2026.
TMZ
A disruptive passenger on a flight bound for New Jersey from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had to be duct-taped to his seat, according to CBS Texas.
The flight was forced to divert to Baltimore, where the man was removed from the plane and arrested on state charges, according to CBS.
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police identified the man as 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen of Arizona, according to ABC News.
Passenger Juan Mejia, who is a former law enforcement officer, told ABC he started hearing a disturbance about three-quarters of the way through the flight. Mejia said Lundeen, who was sitting two rows behind him, started “becoming belligerent,” making derogatory comments to the flight crew and using racial slurs and vulgar language.
Mejia and Richard Olenick, another passenger on board, intervened after they say Lundeen got physical, according to ABC.
“I turned around to look, and the poor gentleman that was sitting next to him in the aisle seat, the individual had his hands around his neck and was, like, assaulting him,” Mejia told CBS Texas.
At that point, Mejia and Olenick jumped in to restrain the man in his seat using duct tape and zip ties provided by a flight attendant. One of the flight crew had attempted to calm the situation before that point, the witnesses said, but Lundeen allegedly called her a racial slur and started making homophobic comments.
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence,” an American Airlines spokesperson told TMZ. “We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”