A passenger aboard an American Airlines flight was bound to his seat using duct tape and restraints after witnesses say he became violent during the journey, shouted racial slurs, and physically attacked a fellow passenger seated beside him. The incident forced the aircraft, traveling from Dallas to Newark, to make an unscheduled landing in Baltimore.
According to reports, the disturbance began approximately two hours after takeoff. An eyewitness, retired law enforcement officer Juan Machiya, described how the situation escalated "from calm to shouting and chaos" within moments.
Machiya recounted that when he turned around, he saw the disruptive passenger with his hands around the neck of the man seated next to him, actively assaulting him. When a female passenger attempted to intervene, she was shoved aside. Three additional passengers then joined efforts to subdue the aggressor.
Flight attendants provided duct tape and zip ties to passengers, who worked together to secure the man to his seat as he struggled to break free. Photographs from the incident show him bound to the chair, with even his head taped to the headrest.
American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that Flight 618 was diverted to Baltimore-Washington International Airport due to a "disruptive passenger." Following the landing, he was removed from the aircraft and arrested. The FBI stated that he was taken into custody on state-level charges, with federal charges also being considered.
