American Airlines Passenger Duct-Taped To Seat After Midair Chaos

A passenger aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark ended Thursday night strapped to his seat with duct tape and zip ties after witnesses said a sudden outburst turned violent.

The trouble erupted roughly two hours into Flight 618, according to two passengers who later spoke with CBS News New York . Retired law enforcement officer Juan Mejia described the change inside the cabin as almost instantaneous: one moment things were quiet, and the next people were yelling.

Mejia said he turned around and saw the disruptive passenger with his hands around the neck of the man seated beside him. Fellow passenger Richard Olenick said the man also directed a racial slur at a Black flight attendant.

Mejia and Olenick were sitting two rows ahead. They joined the effort to restrain the man, using duct tape along with zip ties provided by a flight attendant. By the time it was over, the flight was no longer headed straight to Newark.

Taped Down

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Video from the incident shows the passenger secured to his seat while people around him deal with the aftermath. At one point, someone can be heard plainly summing up the scene: "There he is taped to that chair."

Mejia told CBS the struggle did not end without some contact. He said the passenger bit his hand hard enough to leave teeth marks, although the skin was not broken. Mejia also said the man was bleeding from cuts he appeared to have inflicted on himself.

American Airlines confirmed that Flight 618 diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Sept. 3 because of what the airline called a "disruptive customer."

The airline said law enforcement met the aircraft after landing and helped remove the passenger before the flight continued to Newark.

Flight tracking records show the Boeing 737-800 left Dallas-Fort Worth and made the Baltimore diversion before continuing on to Newark later that night.

Police Take Over

The passenger was taken into custody after the plane reached Baltimore.

An FBI spokesperson told TMZ that Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested and booked the man on state charges. The FBI was also gathering information and consulting with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland about whether federal charges were warranted.

The man had not been publicly identified in the reporting available Friday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration separately maintains enforcement authority over unruly-passenger incidents. The agency says violent or disruptive behavior can result in civil penalties, while serious cases may also be referred for criminal prosecution.

Duct Tape Wins

Online viewers naturally zeroed in on the decidedly low-tech solution.

"They should make this a duct tape commercial," one YouTube commenter wrote.

Another was impressed by the matter-of-fact description from inside the cabin: "'There he is taped to that chair' lol."

American Airlines said it does not tolerate violence aboard its flights and thanked its crew members for their response.

Flight 618 continued to Newark after the passenger was removed in Baltimore.

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