American Airlines Flight 618 Diverts to Baltimore After Passenger Allegedly Screams Racial and Homophobic Slurs, Is Restrained With Duct Tape and Zip Ties by Fellow Passengers — 67-Year-Old Arrested on Maryland State Charges — What Diverted Passengers Are Actually Owed

A mid-flight disturbance three-quarters of the way into a routine Dallas-to-Newark trip ended with a passenger duct-taped to his own seat — and the images have been circulating ever since.

American Airlines Flight 618, operating a Boeing 737-800 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) at approximately 10:15 PM on Thursday, September 3, 2026, after a passenger allegedly became violent and disruptive during the flight. According to a fellow passenger, Juan Mejia — a former law enforcement officer who was seated nearby — the disturbance began roughly three-quarters of the way through the flight, when the man seated two rows behind him began “becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers,” which TMZ reported included racial and anti-gay slurs.

Flight attendants provided duct tape and zip ties to three male passengers, who used them to restrain the man to his seat as he reportedly tried to fight his way free, according to TMZ’s sourcing. Mejia and another passenger told ABC News they stayed with the restrained man until law enforcement boarded the aircraft in Baltimore. “We weren’t looking to hurt this individual; we were looking more to restrain him and control him, so it didn’t escalate to go any further,” Mejia said. The man was identified as 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen of Arizona, who was taken into custody by Maryland Transportation Authority Police and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault. The flight departed Baltimore later that night and completed its journey to Newark.

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Published: September 8, 2026 —
Incident date: Thursday, September 3, 2026, approximately 10:15 PM
Flight: American Airlines AA618, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Newark Liberty (EWR)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Diversion airport: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Passenger identified: Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona
Restraints used: Duct tape (to the seat) and zip ties (hands), applied by fellow passengers with flight attendant-provided materials
Alleged conduct: Screaming racial and anti-gay slurs at staff and passengers, per TMZ sourcing
Charges filed: Disorderly conduct and second-degree assault — Maryland state charges
Arresting agency: Maryland Transportation Authority Police
Federal investigation: FAA investigating; FBI gathering facts and consulting with the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland
Flight outcome: Continued to Newark same night after passenger was removed in Baltimore
2026 FAA unruly passenger data: More than 1,600 incidents reported to the FAA so far this year
Maximum FAA civil penalty: Up to $43,658 per violation, alongside potential criminal charges
American Airlines statement: “The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence”

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Why This Story Resonates Beyond the Headline

Unruly passenger incidents have become a persistent undercurrent of post-pandemic air travel, but this one stands out for a specific reason: it was resolved not primarily by crew intervention, but by fellow passengers physically restraining another traveler using whatever materials the crew could provide. That detail — ordinary passengers taking direct physical action, coordinated with flight attendants, using duct tape and zip ties rather than any purpose-built restraint equipment — is what has driven the story’s spread across social media and national outlets alike.

It’s also a useful, if uncomfortable, illustration of what actually happens when a mid-flight situation escalates beyond what verbal de-escalation can manage. Commercial aircraft don’t carry law enforcement, and diverting to the nearest capable airport — rather than continuing to the original destination — is standard protocol when a passenger’s conduct poses a genuine risk in an enclosed, pressurized environment where medical or security response isn’t available until the wheels are on the ground.

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What a Diversion Like This Actually Costs — and Who Pays

Diverting a commercial aircraft is not a minor operational decision. It requires coordinating with air traffic control to route into unplanned airspace, potentially adjusting the aircraft’s weight for landing, and absorbing the ground handling, gate, and schedule costs of an unplanned stop — all before the flight can even continue toward its original destination. For the roughly two-hour-plus delay this added to Flight 618’s arrival in Newark, passengers experienced a real, if manageable, disruption to their evening.

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Your Rights When a Flight Diverts Due to Another Passenger’s Conduct

This is a genuinely different disruption category from weather or mechanical issues, and it’s worth understanding how it’s typically handled.

✅ You Are Not Responsible for Extra Costs

When a flight diverts because of another passenger’s behavior — not your own — the airline remains responsible for getting you to your original destination and for any reasonable costs incurred as a result of the diversion, including rebooking any missed connections.

✅ Duty of Care Still Applies

If a diversion results in a significant delay, airlines are generally expected to provide meals, refreshments, and — for extended overnight disruption — hotel accommodation, under the same duty-of-care principles that apply to airline-caused delays generally.

⚠️ Cash Compensation Is Less Clear-Cut

Because the diversion was caused by a third party’s criminal conduct rather than the airline’s own operational failure, this sits in a genuinely gray area for DOT’s controllable-delay compensation framework. In this specific case, the flight continued to Newark the same night, meaning any resulting delay may not have reached the multi-hour threshold typically required for compensation claims regardless of classification.

✅ If You Were Departing From the UK or EU

For a comparable incident on a flight departing UK or EU territory, UK261/EU261 duty-of-care obligations would similarly apply regardless of the extraordinary nature of the cause, though — as with DOT’s framework — a disruptive-passenger event is generally treated similarly to other extraordinary circumstances for cash compensation purposes.

If You Witness a Similar Situation

Crew members are trained to manage escalating situations and will direct passengers if physical intervention becomes necessary, as appears to have happened here. Passengers should follow crew instructions directly rather than acting independently unless explicitly asked to assist, given the legal and safety complexities involved.

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The Bigger Picture: Unruly Passengers in 2026

More than 1,600 unruly passenger incidents have been reported to the FAA so far in 2026, according to federal data cited in coverage of this incident. The FAA can pursue civil enforcement against passengers accused of assaulting, threatening, intimidating, or interfering with crew members, with penalties reaching up to $43,658 per violation — separate from and in addition to any criminal charges filed by state or federal authorities, as Lundeen now faces in Maryland.

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Contacts

FAA Unruly Passenger reporting: faa.gov/unrulypassengers DOT complaint portal: airconsumer.dot.gov

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Related Articles:

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• DOT Finalizes Rule Narrowing How Airlines Report “Controllable” Delays — Effective October 19, 2026
• US Labor Day Flight Chaos — 2,331 Delays, 149 Cancellations

Posted By : Vinay

As a lead contributor for Travel Tourister, Vinay is dedicated to serving our Tier 1 audience (US, UK, Canada, Australia). His mission is to deliver precise, fact-checked news and actionable, data-driven articles that empower readers to make informed decisions, minimize travel risks, and maximize their adventure without compromising safety or budget.