An American Airlines flight was traveling as scheduled on Thursday night 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 Mr. Lundeen, of Tucson, Ariz., waived his right to a lawyer at an initial court appearance on Friday and was released on his own recognizance.
Efforts to reach Mr. Lundeen on Saturday were unsuccessful.
Richard O’Lenick, 53, one of the passengers who restrained Mr. Lundeen, said in a phone interview on Saturday that Mr. Lundeen began to shout racial slurs at one of the flight attendants.
“He was getting very aggressive and very loud,” Mr. O’Lenick said.
Mr. Lundeen then became physical with his seat mate. Mr. Lundeen struck the laptop of the man next to him, and then grabbed the man’s throat, Mr. O’Lenick said. When a woman in a seat ahead of the scuffle tried to intervene, Mr. Lundeen started to attack her as well.
That’s when Mr. O’Lenick and Juan Mejia, a colleague at a New Jersey shooting range, jumped into action from their seats two rows ahead.
Mr. O’Lenick, who tried to keep Mr. Lundeen’s legs down, said Mr. 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, Mr. 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,” Mr. O’Lenick said.
Mr. O’Lenick is the owner and chief financial officer of Gun for Hire, a shooting range and training center in Woodland Park, N.J. Mr. Mejia, who could not be immediately reached on Saturday, is a sales manager at the company and a retired police officer from New Jersey.
The self-defense training both men have practiced was vital for the next 10 minutes, as Mr. Lundeen violently struggled, screamed that the plane was going down and bit Mr. Mejia on his hand, Mr. O’Lenick said.
That’s when a flight attendant brought duct tape, which Mr. Mejia wrapped around Mr. Lundeen’s body and seat, restraining his head as well.
“The entire time the flight attendants were present,” Mr. O’Lenick said. “They were advising throughout the process.”
The plane landed in Baltimore shortly after 10 p.m. where the local authorities boarded the aircraft and removed Mr. 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was also investigating.
There have been more than 1,160 cases of unruly passengers reported so far this year, according to the F.A.A. 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 Thursday’s flight, Mr. Lundeen had somehow cut himself. After the flight landed in Baltimore, a cleaning crew came on board for an hour to sanitize the area, Mr. O’Lenick said.
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police said Mr. Lundeen “was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm.”
Mr. 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 Mr. O’Lenick nor Mr. Mejia sought medical treatment.
After the diverted landing in Baltimore, the flight took off and landed in Newark without incident, Mr. O’Lenick said.
Mr. O’Lenick said that neither he nor Mr. Mejia got complimentary drinks after they restrained Mr. 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,” Mr. 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.”
Georgia Gee contributed research.
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