A man on board an American Airlines flight from Connecticut to Chicago Tuesday night faces charges after he allegedly forced a flight attendant to the floor and attempted to drag the flight attendant up the aisle while acting erratically, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a news release, the DOJ said 24-year-old Julius Jordan Priester, of Wichita, Kansas, was arrested and charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Priester was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 3359, which departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, at about 9:30 p.m., en route to Chicago.
Court documents filed Wednesday allege that, during the flight, Priester stood up, began to take his shirt off and ran toward the back of the plane, yelling, “Help me!”
Priester then allegedly grabbed a flight attendant who was seated, and he shouted, “You’re coming with me,” before forcefully taking the victim to the ground.
The DOJ alleges that after taking the flight attendant to the ground, he attempted to drag the victim up the aisle.
Passengers intervened, and Priester was returned to his seat, where the DOJ said he continued to act erratically and spoke incoherent sentences.
The captain of the flight declared an emergency, and flight data from FlightAware.com shows the plane turned around over the Finger Lakes region of New York before heading back to Bradley Airport, where it landed just before 11 p.m.
Once the plane returned to the gate, Priester was removed from the aircraft by Connecticut State Police and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
American Airlines told Fox News Digital it does not tolerate violence on its flights.
“On May 27, American Eagle Flight 3359, operated by Envoy, with service from Hartford (BDL) to Chicago (ORD), returned to BDL due to a disruptive customer,” the airline said. “We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their assistance.”
On Wednesday, Priester appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford, Connecticut. Priester was ordered detained pending a bond hearing scheduled for Friday.
The FBI is investigating with assistance from the Connecticut State Police.
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