A 67-year-old Arizona real estate agent was duct-taped to a first-class seat on an American Airlines flight after an in-flight disturbance on September 3. Diverted to Baltimore, Layne Arthur Lundeen now faces second-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges while claiming he has no memory of the incident.
Mid-Flight Meltdown and Emergency Diversion to Baltimore
What began as a routine commercial trip quickly deteriorated into chaos high above the clouds on Sept. 3. American Airlines Flight 618 was traveling from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, carrying 67-year-old Layne Lundeen in first class. Roughly two hours into the journey, the situation inside the cabin fractured.
According to passengers and law enforcement accounts, Lundeen began shouting racial and anti-gay slurs at crew members and travelers. Seated next to him was Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic rabbi and author from New Jersey. The two men had been conversing amicably until the conversation shifted to religion. Cahn reported that Lundeen began spewing profanities and blasphemy before suddenly turning physical.
Lundeen allegedly struck Cahn’s laptop and grabbed his throat. When a female passenger and a flight attendant attempted to intervene, Lundeen turned his aggression toward them. The disruption forced the flight crew to make an emergency landing at Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Restrained With Zip Ties and Silver Tape by Fellow Passengers
As the disturbance escalated, passengers and crew members took matters into their own hands to secure the cabin. Richard Olenick, owner of a New Jersey shooting range, and Juan Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer working as a sales manager at Olenick’s company, stepped in alongside flight attendants.
A flight attendant handed the Good Samaritans a zip tie to secure Lundeen’s wrists. Yet the physical restraint did not immediately stop the struggle. Lundeen allegedly bit Mejia and attempted to bite Olenick while continuing to resist. Flight attendants then provided rolls of duct tape. A photo shared from the flight showed Lundeen wrapped in multiple loops of silver tape across his wrists, torso, and head.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police boarded the aircraft upon touchdown in Baltimore and took Lundeen into custody. American Airlines issued a public statement praising the crew’s response, emphasizing that the safety of customers and team members remains its top priority and that violence will not be tolerated.
Court Appearance and Upcoming Trial in Maryland
During his initial court appearance on September 4 in Annapolis before District Court Commissioner George Haag, Lundeen appeared bewildered by the charges against him. Audio recordings reviewed by regional media outlets captured his apparent disbelief as the accusations were read aloud.
Lundeen told the court that he had consumed a pair of alcoholic screwdrivers prior to the flight and insisted he retained zero memory of the onboard chaos.
When asked what had brought him to Maryland, Lundeen expressed confusion about his geographic location, stating he had intended to land in New Jersey to help his daughter move into a new apartment for her birthday.
The fallout from the arrest has proved swift for Lundeen’s professional life. His former employer, Long Realty in Tucson, Arizona, announced via social media that it promptly ended its affiliation with him upon learning of the criminal charges.
Released on his own recognizance with strict orders to abstain from drugs and alcohol, Lundeen is scheduled to return to court for trial on October 19 in the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County in Glen Burnie.