American Airlines passenger restrained with zip ties, duct tape after mid-flight outburst | World News

3 min readUpdated: Sep 7, 2026 01:59 PM IST

An American Airlines flight travelling from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark in the United States made an unexpected stop in Baltimore after a passenger became disruptive and violent during the flight, according to CBS News. Witnesses said the man had to be restrained with zip ties and duct tape after his behaviour began putting other passengers at risk.

The incident took place about two hours into the flight, according to passengers Juan Mejia and Richard Olenick, who were seated two rows in front of the man. Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, said the situation escalated suddenly from a quiet flight into chaos. 

“Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos,” Mejia told CBS News. “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 and Olenick said they intervened after the passenger allegedly became physically aggressive towards the man sitting beside him. The two passengers helped restrain him using zip ties provided by a flight attendant and duct tape.

A photograph shared by Olenick showed the passenger strapped to his seat with multiple loops of duct tape around his wrists, torso and head. The image was taken during the September 3 flight to Newark. 

Witnesses told CBS News that a flight attendant initially tried to calm the passenger down. However, the situation allegedly worsened after he directed a racial slur at the attendant and made homophobic comments. He then became violent, prompting the crew and passengers to restrain him and divert the flight.

After the aircraft landed in Baltimore, law enforcement officers removed the passenger from the plane. The flight subsequently continued to Newark.

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American Airlines said the safety and security of its customers and crew remained its top priority and that it does not tolerate violence. The airline also thanked its crew members for their professionalism and passengers for their understanding.

The FBI said the passenger was in custody on state charges while federal authorities continued to investigate the incident. The agency said its officials were interviewing witnesses and gathering information before consulting the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland to determine whether federal charges would be filed.

Authorities had not publicly identified the passenger at the time of the CBS News report.

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