A New Jersey gun range owner jumped in to help restrain a first-class passenger with duct tape and zip ties after the man allegedly became violent, hurled slurs and forced an American Airlines flight to make an unexpected stop.
Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, was taken into custody after American Airlines Flight 618 left Dallas for Newark and instead landed at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, WBFF identified him as the passenger.
Photos published by TMZ showed Lundeen strapped into his seat with tape wrapped around him, including around his hands and head. His face was blurred in the images, and his right forearm appeared bloodied in one shot.
A cabin video showed passengers and crew trying to control Lundeen while the plane was still in the air.
“You’re crazy, man,” one person could be heard telling Lundeen.
“Relax, relax … stop it!” another person said.
TMZ reported that Lundeen, who was reportedly drunk, started shouting at a nearby male passenger during the Thursday night Fort Worth-to-Newark trip.
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He allegedly talked about Jesus and people going to hell before a black flight attendant stepped in, TMZ reported.
The situation worsened when Lundeen allegedly called the flight attendant the N-word and used an anti-gay slur. He also allegedly hit the passenger beside him and struck that man’s computer, according to TMZ.
Flight attendants handed duct tape and zip ties to three male passengers, putting the cabin’s emergency response partly in the hands of other travelers.
Among them was Richard O’Lenick, 53, the owner of Gun for Hire in Woodland Park, who was traveling with his sales manager, Juan Mejia, a retired Weehawken police officer.
O’Lenick told The Daily Voice that Lundeen looked at him during the flight and warned that the plane would crash.
“I don’t love to fly, and he just looks at me and goes, ‘We’re all going to die. This plane is going to crash,’” O’Lenick said. “And I said, ‘You’re going to meet a couple of new friends when we land.’”
O’Lenick said he and Mejia knew they would have to help before anyone needed to spell it out.
“I knew we were going to be doing this together. It wasn’t a thought,” he told The Daily Voice. “It was a pretty volatile situation for a while. Safety was definitely a concern, and not knowing where it was going and what the intent was.”
Lundeen kept resisting even after passengers and crew had him taped to the seat, O’Lenick said.
“He was still fighting us through the entire process,” O’Lenick told The Daily Voice.
Crew members later taped Lundeen’s head after he allegedly tried to bite O’Lenick. They left his mouth uncovered because of concerns about his breathing.
American Airlines said police were waiting when Flight 618 reached Baltimore.
“On Sept. 3, American Airlines flight 618 diverted to Baltimore (BWI) due to a disruptive customer. Upon arrival, law enforcement met the aircraft and assisted with deplaning the customer before the flight continued to its destination,” the airline said.
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence. We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
WBFF reported that the aircraft reached BWI shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested Lundeen at the gate.
Lundeen is charged in state court with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He was released on his own recognizance, the FBI is investigating, and his trial is scheduled for Oct. 19.
Lundeen’s Tucson real estate work was also cut off after the flight.
Long Realty said on Facebook that Lundeen was no longer affiliated with the company after it learned of the incident.
“Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity,” the company said.
“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.”
Another travel blowup fueled by alcohol allegations ended in arrests after a cruise ship arrived at Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Gannon Jacox, 29, and Brooklyn Hicks, 28, both from Ohio, were arrested after deputies said they entered another passenger’s cruise cabin and attacked three people, including a 9-year-old child.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey put the blame on “alcohol combined with an apparent lack of common sense” in a Facebook statement.
The sheriff said the couple had been loudly arguing after “taking advantage of some adult beverages” when another passenger asked them to “quiet down.”
Hicks went toward the passengers after the request, Ivey said. Jacox then came over recording on his phone and told his girlfriend to “beat them up!”
Deputies said Jacox and Hicks got inside the cabin where the victims were staying with the child. Ivey said Jacox hit all three people, including the 9-year-old.
“Hicks was just swinging, hoping one would land,” Ivey said.
Jacox ended up with what Ivey called a “pretty gross injury to his eye,” which the sheriff said may have come from one of the victims or from “friendly fire from the Haymakers his girlfriend was throwing!”
“Thankfully none of the victims were seriously injured in this ridiculous escapade!” Ivey said.
Jacox was charged with burglary with battery and child abuse without great bodily harm. Hicks was charged with burglary with battery and battery-touch/strike.
Both were booked into the Brevard County Jail. Jacox posted $31,000 bond Sunday, and Hicks posted $6,000 bond Monday, jail records showed. Both are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 15.
Authorities did not identify the cruise ship involved. The New York Post, citing the Port Canaveral cruise ship schedule for Aug. 15, reported that Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Disney’s Disney Treasure, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Freedom were docked at Port Canaveral that Saturday.
