Unruly passenger restrained with duct tape during US flight

AUSTIN - An American Airlines flight was travelling as scheduled on the night of Sept 3 from Texas to New Jersey when a man suddenly began to shout vulgarities and became violent, according to the authorities and the airline.That’s when two other passengers, relying on zip ties, duct tape and sheer will, restrained the disruptive man until the authorities could board the plane and take him into custody.The flight, which was on its way to Newark from Dallas, was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.The Maryland Transportation Authority Police identified the disruptive passenger as Arthur Lundeen, 67.Maryland court records said Lundeen, of Tucson, Arizona, waived his right to a lawyer at an initial court appearance on Sept 4 and was released on his own recognisance.Efforts to reach Lundeen on Sept 5 were unsuccessful.Richard O’Lenick, 53, one of the passengers who restrained Lundeen, said in a phone interview on Sept 5 that Lundeen began to shout racial slurs at one of the flight attendants.“He was getting very aggressive and very loud,” O’Lenick said.Lundeen then became physical with his seat mate. Lundeen struck the laptop of the man next to him, and then grabbed the man’s throat, O’Lenick said. When a woman in a seat ahead of the scuffle tried to intervene, Lundeen started to attack her as well.That’s when O’Lenick and Juan Mejia, a colleague at a New Jersey shooting range, jumped into action from their seats two rows ahead.O’Lenick, who tried to keep Lundeen’s legs down, said Mejia “proceeds to sit next to the guy to try to control the situation”.It was not immediately clear what precipitated the violent outburst. A flight attendant rushed over with zip ties but even with his hands restrained, Lundeen continued to fight.“I started trying to tell him to relax, we don’t want to hurt you, we just want you to settle down,” O’Lenick said.O’Lenick is the owner and chief financial officer of Gun for Hire, a shooting range and training center in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Mejia, who could not be immediately reached on Sept 5, is a sales manager at the company and a retired police officer from New Jersey.The self-defence training both men have practised was vital for the next 10 minutes, as Lundeen violently struggled, screamed that the plane was going down and bit Mejia on his hand, O’Lenick said.That’s when a flight attendant brought duct tape, which Mejia wrapped around Lundeen’s body and seat, restraining his head as well.“The entire time the flight attendants were present,” O’Lenick said. “They were advising throughout the process.”The plane landed in Baltimore shortly after 10pm where local authorities boarded the aircraft and removed Lundeen, who was charged with two misdemeanors, assault in the second degree and disorderly conduct, according to court records.In a statement, American Airlines confirmed the episode. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating, the agency said in a statement. The FBI said it was also investigating.There have been more than 1,160 cases of unruly passengers reported so far in 2026, according to the FAA. That is far fewer than when such episodes peaked in 2021 during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 5,973 such cases were reported.In 2021, a passenger on an American Airlines flight who kicked and spat at flight attendants and passengers before attempting to open the cabin door was also restrained with duct tape.During the scuffle on the Sept 3 flight, Lundeen had somehow cut himself. After the flight landed in Baltimore, a cleaning crew came on board for an hour to sanitise the area, O’Lenick said.The Maryland Transportation Authority Police said Lundeen “was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm”.O’Lenick said that once the adrenaline began to fade, he noticed that his pants were covered in blood. He changed into a pair from his luggage. Neither O’Lenick nor Mejia sought medical treatment.After the diverted landing in Baltimore, the flight took off and landed in Newark without incident, O’Lenick said.O’Lenick said that neither he nor Mejia got complimentary drinks after they restrained Lundeen, but they did receive much appreciation from their fellow passengers and members of the crew.That, he said, was enough.“I feel bad for the guy,” O’Lenick said. “I don’t know what he was going through. What we do know is that he was getting physical with his actions, and we didn’t know where he was going to stop.”He added: “We were just there to help.” NYTIMESGeorgia Gee contributed research.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.