Passengers on an American Airline flight bound for Chicago Tuesday jumped in to help restrain a passenger who attempted to open a plane door, according to information from witnesses and airline officials.
The intervention, captured on video, took place on AA Flight 1219 after the plane departed from Albuquerque, New Mexico bound for O’Hare International Airport, an American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY Wednesday morning.
One passenger posted a video of the melee on X and said he watched “a man trying to aggressively open the airplane door 4 rows back.”
“Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him,” the passenger wrote in the post.
Video provided by WLS-TV shows a man in a red shirt and black hoodie being restrained by passengers near an exit door and being held down by what appears to be a group of men and tied up.
Wild moment American Airlines passenger tackled by fliers & put in zip ties after ‘trying to open plane door mid flight’ | The US Sun https://t.co/fcctuW9xPQ
— Thomas Payne (@TPayneCommon) February 21, 2024
Subsequent video circulating online shows law enforcement officers escorting the same person off the plane onto the tarmac handcuffed.
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‘A disturbance in the cabin’
The flight returned to the Albuquerque International Airport shortly after takeoff “due to a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
The flight landed safely, the spokesperson said, and the aircraft was met by local law enforcement upon arrival.
30 minutes after departing Albuquerque I was shaken out of my Panda Express and Tequila induced stupor by a man trying to aggressively open the airplane door 4 rows back. Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him.… pic.twitter.com/zkrtEveYgQ
— The Wonton Don (@DonnieDoesWorld) February 20, 2024
FAA investigating incident
The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight returned safely to New Mexico at 2:40 p.m. and agents are investigating the incident.
The FBI is also investigating the case, officials said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American passenger tries to open plane door, gets restrained, arrested
