An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark was diverted to Baltimore late Thursday night due to a violent outburst by a passenger, who witnesses described as shouting and making homophobic comments at a flight attendant before becoming physical. The incident occurred two hours into the flight and was restrained by passengers and crew using zip ties and duct tape, with the suspect strapped to his seat. Authorities have not yet identified the passenger, but he is in custody on state charges and being investigated by the FBI for potential federal charges. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with one passenger jumping in to help restrain the man after he allegedly called a racial slur at the flight attendant.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark** made an emergency stop in Baltimore after a passenger became violent mid-flight on Thursday night. The man, whose identity was not released, allegedly appeared to be drunk and started yelling at another passenger, using racial slurs and homophobic language against a flight attendant who tried to calm him down. Witnesses said he then became physically violent, prompting the crew to restrain him and divert the plane. Law enforcement took the man off the plane in Baltimore, allowing the remaining passengers to continue on to Newark. The FBI is currently investigating the incident and will determine if federal charges will be filed. American Airlines has released a statement condemning the man's behavior as unacceptable and praising the professionalism of their crew members.
Written for “Disruptive Airline Passenger Incident” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 4242 · logged 2026-09-05
An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark made an unexpected stop in Baltimore late Thursday night due to a
, the Fort Worth-based airline confirmed Friday.
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airline → make → a
Witnesses who were on board the plane told CBS News New York the passenger's behavior was putting everyone at risk.
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behavior → tell → risk
Juan Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, and Richard Olenick say the chaos unfolded about two hours into the flight.
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chaos → say → flight
"Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos," Mejia said.
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Mejia → go → yelling
"I turned around to look, and the poor gentleman that was sitting next to him in the aisle seat, the individual had his hands around his neck and was, like, assaulting him."
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that → turn → him
Mejia and Olenick, who were sitting two rows in front of the man, say they jumped in to help restrain him.
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they → sit → him
Theu used zip ties provided by a flight attendant and also wrapped him with duct tape.
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Theu → use → tape
A photo shared by Olenick shows the man with multiple loops of tape around his wrists, torso and head, strapping him into his seat.
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photo → share → seat
The witnesses said a flight attendant had attempted to calm the situation, but he allegedly called her a racial slur and made homophobic comments.
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he → say → comments
They said he then became violent, which prompted the crew to restrain him and the flight to be diverted.
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flight → say → him
TMZ was the first to report this story.
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TMZ → report → story
After law enforcement took the man off the plane, the flight continued on to Newark.
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flight → take → Newark
"The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence.
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we → tolerate → violence
We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding," American Airlines said in a statement.
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Airlines → thank → statement
In a statement to CBS News, the FBI said the passenger is in custody on state charges, but agents are investigating.
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agents → say → charges
"The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland to determine if federal charges will be filed," the statement said.
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statement → conduct → Maryland
