The unruly passenger who reportedly had an absolute meltdown during an American Airlines flight and ended up getting duct-taped to his seat has been identified.
67-year-old Layne Arthur Lundeen allegedly became both physically and verbally aggressive in the middle of the flight.
He struck a pastor seated next to him on the plane and started hurling insults at others before passengers took matters into their own hands and restrained him with the duct tape.
Witnesses say he had been drinking before he started going berserk.
Newsweek shared some witness accounts of the incident:
The flight was traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport when the incident took place. Juan Mejia, a passenger and former law enforcement officer, said that Lundeen became increasingly belligerent and used vulgar language and racial slurs during the flight.
Mejia and another passenger, Richard Olenick, intervened after the situation allegedly became physical.
“Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos,” Mejia told CBS News. “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.”
“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,” Mejia added.
Lundeen was eventually restrained to his seat with duct tape while his hands were secured with zip ties. Photographs taken on board show a man bound to a first-class seat with bloody injuries to his arms. Duct tape and flexible handcuffs are often found on commercial flights to restrain violent or disruptive passengers.
“I didn’t know how far this was gonna go,” Olenick said in an interview with CBS New York when asked about restraining Lundeen. “I didn’t know what this gentleman’s intentions were. So we absolutely knew that we had to get involved and take control of the situation.”
The flight diverted to Baltimore, where Lundeen was removed by law enforcement before the aircraft continued on to Newark.
Lundeen is from Tucson, AZ, where he has worked as a real estate agent since 1997.
He is now facing misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
🇺🇸🇺🇸 A 67-year-old Arizona realtor has been identified as the passenger who was duct taped and zip-tied to his seat after a violent outburst aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark.
Layne Arthur Lundeen allegedly hurled racial slurs, including the N-word, and… pic.twitter.com/ZVn3n8JwD1
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) September 6, 2026
A 67-year-old Arizona realtor has been identified as the passenger who was duct taped and zip-tied to his seat after a violent outburst aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark.
Layne Arthur Lundeen allegedly hurled racial slurs, including the N-word, and made anti-gay remarks before passengers intervened and restrained him. The flight was diverted to Baltimore, where Maryland Transportation Police arrested him.
Lundeen faces state charges of second degree assault and disorderly conduct. The FBI is investigating whether federal charges will follow.
Lundeen waived his right to an attorney at his initial court appearance on Friday and has been released, pending his next court date in October.
However, legal consequences aren’t the only ones he is facing.
In an extremely unsurprising development, he has also been fired from his job.
NJ.com confirmed:
Lundeen, who has worked in real estate since 1997, was fired from his position with the Long Realty Company in Tucson on Saturday, according to records with the Arizona Department of Real Estate.
“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,” the firm said in a statement. “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 flight was traveling from Dallas to Newark Liberty International Airport. In a statement to NJ.com, American Airlines said police assisted the flight crew in removing the man.
ADVERTISEMENT“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence,” the carrier said.
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