A flight that took off from Texas was diverted after apassenger disturbance ended with a man restrained to his seat with duct tape and zip ties, according to authorities and multiple news reports.
American Airlines Flight 618 landed safely at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport around 10:15 p.m. local time Thursday, Sept. 3, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The flight had departed Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and was headed to Newark Liberty International Airport.
The man was restrained to his seat with duct tape, and his hands were secured with zip ties, ABC News reported, citing the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. Police arrested
the man after the plane landed.
Airline passenger duct-taped, zip-tied after hurling racist, homophobic slurs in mid-air meltdown https://t.co/gT1RaPi61j pic.twitter.com/Qiso0yvRCb
— New York Post (@nypost) September 4, 2026
USA TODAY reached out to Maryland Transportation Authority Police for additional information and to confirm the passenger's identity.
Juan Mejia, a passenger on the flight and a former law enforcement officer, told several news outlets, including ABC News and CNN, that he began hearing a disturbance about three-quarters of the way through the flight.
"[The] gentleman sitting two rows behind us started becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers, racial slurs, vulgar language, very offensive to the women" sitting in the row behind him, Mejia told ABC News.
"We weren't looking to hurt this individual; we were looking more to restrain him and control him, so it didn't escalate to go any further," Mejia said.
The FAA says unruly passenger cases can be referred to the FBI when warranted and may result in criminal prosecution.
The agency can propose fines of up to $43,658 per violation in unruly passenger cases, and a single incident can result in multiple penalties. Unruly behavior can also affect a traveler's TSA PreCheck eligibility or result in placement on an airline's internal no-fly list.
So far in 2026, the FAA has received 1,163 reports of unruly passengers.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight from Texas diverted after unruly passenger duct-taped to seat
