An unruly passenger who attempted to “barge” into the cockpit, forcing a Milan-bound flight to return to New York hours into the journey left fellow travelers terrified when the incident erupted while cruising over the Atlantic Ocean, Report informs via New York Post.
American Airlines Flight 198 departed from John F. Kennedy’s International Airport around 7 p.m. Monday, but the pilot announced four hours later that one of roughly 300 passengers aboard was causing a ruckus, CBS News noted.
According to passengers on board, a deranged man sitting in the back of the aircraft reportedly threw a fit when he did not receive his preferred meal and was told he couldn’t sit in an exit row with a baby.
The ordeal escalated when the man charged at flight attendants and then rushed toward the front of the plane, where he attempted to “barge into the pilot’s cabin.”
“We kind of noticed a scuffle in the back,” passenger Krystie Tomlinson told the outlet.
“They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on,” she continued.
“There was apparently somebody in the back; he was charging at the stewardesses. At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot’s cabin.”
Michael Scigliano said passengers were originally told the aircraft was experiencing technical problems before realizing the real issue when the commotion unfolded.
“The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people, and there was no air marshal on board, and we’ve got this crazy man in the back,” Scigliano told the outlet.
“Back to New York at 3:30 in the morning. They offered us nothing,” the pissed passenger added.
The plane, which was headed to Milano Malpensa Airport in Italy, touched down at JFK around 3 a.m., according to the FAA, which recorded more than 1,800 unruly passenger incidents in 2024.
Passengers said they were forced to remain on the plane as the man was escorted off by authorities – but were offered no perks by the airline following the disturbance, the outlet reported.
“I asked to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed and change,” Tomlinson recalled.
“They said you can go in if you pay $79.”
Travelers remained at the airport overnight and eventually took off on their rebooked flight around 11 a.m. Tuesday, CBS noted.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
