FBI speaks out after American Airlines duct-taped passenger to seat during mid-flight outburst

The FBI has launched an investigation after a 67-year-old Arizona man was arrested and an American Airlines flight was diverted to Baltimore Washington International Airport.

American Airlines Flight 618 was flying from Dallas to Newark when it’s reported that a first-class passenger became unruly and began berating the person next to him.

In another wild bit of plane news, he supposedly became increasingly violent and forced flight attendants to intervene, with viral social media images showing him zip-tied and duct-taped to his seat.

What happened on American Airlines Flight 618?

Also on board the flight was passenger Juan Mejia, who told CBS News how things unfolded: "Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos. 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."

Meja added: "Everyone who was in first class was basically victimized by his spewing of hatred and the discrimination, and the hostility, and vulgarness that was coming out of his mouth."

The assailant has since been named as Arthur Layne Lundeen, who apparently became violent when staff intervened, going on to hurl racist slurs.

According to Mejia, he and another passenger, known as Richard Olenick, had to assist the flight crew in restraining Lundeen.

Meja continued: "[Lundeen] bit my hand. He didn't break skin, just left teeth marks on my hand. We were covered in his blood. He was bleeding quite a bit from cuts that he inflicted on himself."

Having been taped to his seat and with his hands zip-tied, Lundeen is said to have been kept this way for the final 15 minutes of the flight as it was diverted to Baltimore, Maryland.

Upon landing, Lundeen was arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority police and later charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.

Meja maintains that the crew insists they only served Lundeen one drink.

Who is Arthur Layne Lundeen?

According to Newsweek, Lundeen is a realtor who was working with Long Realty. The company told the outlet that it "promptly ended its affiliation" with Lundeen after it learned about the incident.

The FBI has taken over the investigation, explaining that it is now "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."

Lundeen's LinkedIn profile names him as an associate broker, realtor, and vice president member of the executive council at Long Realty.

Long Realty CEO Kevin Kaplan added: "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.

“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 FAA has confirmed it is also investigating what happened onboard Flight 618, simply saying that the plane 'landed safely' after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. The flight later continued to its intended destination.

Newsweek notes that the Lundeen incident comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports more than 1,160 unruly passengers in 2026 alone. While alarming, it's far from an apparent surge seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. The FAA maintains that incidents have dropped by over 80% since a 2021 peak.

Unruly passengers can face civil fines and criminal prosecution, with the FAA able to impose civil penalties of up to $43,658 for every violation.

Just one incident can lead to multiple violations and multiple fines. The FAA can also look for further enforcement against anyone who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with crew members. More serious cases like Lundeen's can be referred to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution.