Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, a former real estate agent at Long Realty in Tucson, has been fired from his job after he was identified as the passenger who hurled racial slurs and anti-gay insults on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark. The incident occurred on Thursday night, with Lundeen being duct-taped to his seat by other passengers before the plane was diverted to Baltimore. According to court records, Lundeen faces state-level charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, with the FBI also investigating possible federal charges. Long Realty stated that Lundeen's behavior is "wholly inconsistent" with their values and that they have no tolerance for such conduct.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Arthur Lundeen, a 67-year-old man from Tucson, Arizona, was restrained with duct tape to his seat on an American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark after he allegedly became violent and hurled racial slurs at a flight attendant. The incident occurred about two hours into the flight, which was diverted to Baltimore due to Lundeen's behavior. Witnesses, including Juan Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, and Richard Olenick, restrained Lundeen with zip ties and duct tape until authorities could board the plane and take him into custody. Lundeen was later released on his own recognizance after waiving his right to an attorney in court. He was subsequently fired from his job as a real estate agent at Long Realty in Tucson, citing the company's zero-tolerance policy for such behavior.
Written for “Passenger Incident on Flight” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 6411 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-07
Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, was axed from his job as a real-estate agent at the Tucson-based company Long Realty after he was identified as the lunatic who hurled the N-word at a flight attendant and shouted anti-gay insults on American Airlines flight 618 Thursday night.
asserted
who → ax → flight
“Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight,” Long Realty wrote in a statement on Facebook Sunday.
uncertain
Realty → concern → Facebook
“Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual.
asserted
Realty → learn → individual
The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity,” the company said.
asserted
company → associate → capacity
“The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.
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Realty → describe → company
”
We expect those associated with our company to uphold those values, and we have no tolerance for conduct that so clearly falls short of those expectations,” the statement continued.
asserted
statement → expect → expectations
“Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew members, and others affected by this incident.”
asserted
thoughts → affect → incident
Lundeen’s LinkedIn said he was a vice president at Long Realty in Tucson.
asserted
he → say → Tucson
However, his profile had been scrubbed from the company site.
asserted
profile → scrub → site
Traveler Juan Mejia, a former law enforcement officer who was on board the flight from Dallas to Newark, told ABC News he and his friend Richard Olenick jumped into action when they heard Lundeen, two rows behind them, becoming “belligerent” at the end of the flight.
asserted
Lundeen → tell → 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 Lundeen, Mejia said.
asserted
Mejia → sit → Lundeen
Olenick said Mejia “got up right away and jumped in the seat right next to the passenger and began working on restraining him in order to keep the situation contained.”
asserted
Mejia → say → situation
Insane photos show Lundeen’s head, hands, and torso duct-taped haphazardly to the chair and his wrists bound together in an attempt to restrain him.
asserted
wrists → show → him
The flight was diverted to Baltimore due to a “disruptive customer,” and Lundeen was removed from the plane and arrested upon landing, before passengers could continue to their destination, American Airlines told The Post.
uncertain
Airlines → divert → Post
The FBI confirmed Lundeen was arrested by Maryland Transportation Police.
asserted
Lundeen → confirm → Police
The bigoted ex-realtor was hit with state-level charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, court records show.
“
asserted
records → hit → assault
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 bureau said.
asserted
bureau → conduct → Maryland
Arthur Layne Lundeen, an American Airlines passenger who was duct-taped and zip-tied after hurling racist and homophobic slurs during a mid-air meltdown, was fired from an Arizona realty company.
asserted
who → tap → company
The flight from Dallas to Newark was diverted to Baltimore due to the obscene disruption.
asserted
flight → divert → disruption
said it ended its affiliation with Lundeen after becoming aware of his "concerning criminal charges."
asserted
it → say → charges
