Unruly passenger duct-taped to seat after ‘abusing plane crew’ in mid-air rampage is unmasked as he’s fired from job

A HOSTILE passenger who was duct-taped to his seat following an alleged offensive outburst has been fired after being identified. Shocking images show real estate agent, Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, tightly bound with silver tape in his first-class seat following his alleged outburst. Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, was restrained on an American Airlines flight on Thursday Credit: Instagram/@richardolenick Lundeen is understood to have been sacked from his job as a realtor following the alleged outburst Credit: Linkedin The Arizona-based real estate firm look the decision to fire the individual after “concerning criminal charges” emerged from the incident. On Thursday evening, American Airlines Flight 618 was forced to divert to a Baltimore airport after Lundeen allegedly launched into a homophobic and racist rant, resulting in him being physically restrained. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Shocking images from the incident shows the man strapped tightly to his first-class seat with silver tape coiled around his body – including his head. Lundeen has since been unmasked as the individual who allegedly hurled the N-word at a flight attendant, the NYPost reports. In a post to LinkedIn, the Tucson-based company – Long Realty – where Lundeen was the vice president, said: “Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight. “Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. “The individual is no longer associated with or authorised to represent Long Realty in any capacity. “The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company. Most read in The Sun “We expect those associated with our company to uphold those values, and we have no tolerance for conduct that so clearly falls short of those expectations. “Our focus remains on serving our clients and community in accordance with our values. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew members and others affected by this incident.” It is understood Lundeen began shouting at the male passenger seated next to him at around 10pm. He allegedly embarked on a tirade about Jesus and hell, which caused a flight attendant to come over to see what the commotion was, TMZ reports. Lundeen then allegedly called the black flight attendant the N-word and made homophobic comments. A female passenger allegedly attempted to help, but he reportedly pushed her, causing three male passengers to get up. It is alleged, Lundeen then bit one male passenger and attempted to bite another. Traveller Juan Mejia, a former law enforcement officer who was on-board, told ABC News: “(The) gentleman sitting two rows behind us started becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers, racial slurs, vulgar language and was very offensive to the women sitting in the row behind.” American Airlines told The NYPost in a statement that the flight was diverted to Baltimore “due to a disruptive customer”. When the plane touched down in Baltimore, “law enforcement met the aircraft and assisted with deplaning the customer before the flight continued to its destination”. The man was arrested and hit with state-level charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, court records show. The FBI said they are “currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland to determine if federal charges will be filed.” The Sun has contacted Lundeen, American Airlines and for Long Realty comment. Comment now