An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark was forced to divert to Baltimore after witnesses said an Arizona passenger became increasingly disruptive, turned violent and had to be restrained to his seat with zip ties and duct tape.
Arizona’s Family reporter Molly McBride identified the passenger through court records as 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen of Tucson, a former realtor who was later charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.
Passengers Richard Olenick and Juan Mejia told McBride that the flight had been relatively calm until Lundeen allegedly began making inappropriate comments and behaving aggressively in the cabin.
“The flight was relatively normal,” Olenick said, before the situation changed quickly.
Witnesses Say The Outburst Escalated Fast
Olenick said passengers first noticed Lundeen becoming belligerent and making inappropriate remarks, while witnesses also described racial slurs during the disturbance.
A flight attendant tried to calm him, but the attempt did not work.
The situation then became physical.
Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, said he saw Lundeen with his hands around the neck area of the passenger seated beside him.
“That’s when I saw the individual with his hands on what appeared to be the person sitting to his right, right next to him, on his neck,” Mejia said.
At that point, Mejia and Olenick decided to intervene.
Their decision put them directly into the struggle, and Mejia said Lundeen bit his hand and forearm while they tried to control him.
With a packed airplane cabin and virtually nowhere to create distance, the two men had to use whatever leverage they could find.
Zip Ties Were Not Enough
Mejia told McBride that Olenick used his body weight to help hold Lundeen down while he controlled the man’s hands.
A flight attendant then provided zip ties.
But according to Mejia, Lundeen continued fighting and managed to pull his hands out of them.
That is when the crew turned to duct tape.
“We zip-tied him, but he kept fighting and pulling his hand out of the zip ties, so the next thing they had was duct tape,” Mejia said.
The men used the tape to secure Lundeen’s hands, legs and torso.
Mejia said Lundeen was still moving his head and trying to headbutt or bite, so they used additional tape to hold his head back against the seat.
It sounds extreme, but an aircraft cabin is one of the worst places for a violent confrontation because there is no real room to retreat and very few options for separating people.
In that setting, the priority quickly becomes stopping someone from hurting passengers or crew until the plane can get safely on the ground.
Passengers Held Him Until The Plane Diverted
Olenick and Mejia said they remained on guard and helped keep Lundeen restrained for the rest of the shortened flight.
The crew diverted to Baltimore, where law enforcement met the aircraft.
American Airlines later said Flight 618 diverted to Baltimore on Sept. 3 because of a disruptive customer and that officers assisted in removing him before the flight continued to Newark.
The airline said it does not tolerate violence and thanked both its crew and customers for their response during the incident.
Video and images showing Lundeen restrained with tape quickly spread across social media, but the footage only captures the end result of a longer struggle described by the passengers.
What makes the incident unusual is not simply that duct tape was used, but that ordinary passengers had to help physically restrain someone until the flight could land.
Former Flight Attendant Says Duct Tape Is Practical
Former flight attendant Keri Engelhardt told McBride she was not surprised that duct tape became part of the response.
She said that while working, she carried both restraint cuffs and a roll of duct tape.
“The flexibility of it, the ease of carrying it, you can whip it out in any situation, you can undo it and redo it as necessary,” Engelhardt said.
She also said unruly passenger incidents have become a more noticeable part of modern air travel.
“People are just – their tempers are so short anymore,” Engelhardt said, adding that she believes the problem became worse after the COVID era.
The FAA said more than 1,100 unruly passenger incidents had already been reported during the year at the time of McBride’s report.
That figure shows why flight crews are increasingly expected to be ready for more than medical problems or routine passenger disputes.
Aviation Expert Warns The Consequences Can Be Serious
Aviation expert Cary Grant said passengers who become abusive on aircraft can face consequences long after the plane lands.
“You don’t want to trade your seatbelt for jail cell bars,” Grant said.
He noted that the FAA can seek fines exceeding $43,000 against passengers who assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with crew members.
“Before you start getting abusive to the flight attendants, you better think of the consequences,” he said.
Those penalties are separate from whatever criminal charges local or federal authorities may pursue.
In Lundeen’s case, court records showed he was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.
The FBI also said the investigation remained ongoing.
Lundeen’s Former Real Estate Company Cuts Ties
McBride reported that Lundeen had worked as a realtor in Tucson.
Long Realty later confirmed that he was no longer affiliated with the company.
The firm said it ended its relationship with him after learning about the allegations and described the reported conduct as inconsistent with its expectations for professionalism, integrity, compassion and respect.
The company also said its thoughts were with the passengers, crew members and others affected by the incident.
Arizona’s Family attempted to reach Lundeen for his explanation of what happened but did not receive a response.
That means the public account of the confrontation remains based largely on witness statements, court records, the airline’s response and the available video.
A Calm Flight Turned Into A Restraint Operation
For the passengers who stepped in, the most striking part of the episode appears to have been how quickly things changed.
Olenick described a normal flight that suddenly became chaotic, while Mejia said the situation escalated to the point where he was being bitten while trying to stop another passenger from hurting people.
Within a matter of minutes, a routine commercial flight had become an emergency requiring zip ties, duct tape and a diversion.
The images may look almost unbelievable at first glance, but the witnesses said the restraints were used only after verbal efforts failed, the confrontation became physical and the first attempt with zip ties did not hold.
The incident also shows how limited the options can become at 30,000 feet.
Once someone becomes violent inside a packed cabin, there is no nearby room to isolate them in and no police officer around the corner.
Until the aircraft lands, the people already on board may be the only ones available to stop the situation from getting worse.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
