American Airlines passenger duct-taped to seat after mid-air meltdown loses his job

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A man who was allegedly so unruly on a commercial flight that he had to be duct-taped to his seat has been fired from his real estate company.

Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, was flying first class from Texas to New Jersey on American Airlines last Thursday when the incident occurred. According to Juan Mejia, a passenger on the flight who spoke to CBS News, Lundeen allegedly got drunk and started berating the passenger next to him.

Mejia said at some point Lundeen began attacking his seat mate.

“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.”

When the flight crew attempted to intervene, Lundeen reportedly called one a racial slur and refused to follow their commands.

Arthur Lundeen, 67, was taped to his seat on an American Airlines flight September 3. He was arrested by police after he allegedly became belligerent on an flight and attacked another passenger. Flight crew and a group of passengers subdued him and taped him to his seat for the final 15 minutes of the flight (Instagram/Richard Olenick)

Mejia said that he and another passenger, Richard Olenick, assisted the flight crew in restraining Lundeen.

“[Lundeen] bit my hand. He didn’t break skin, just left teeth marks on my hand. We were covered in his blood,” Mejia told the broadcaster. “He was bleeding quite a bit from cuts that he inflicted on himself.”

A flight attendant told Mejia that they had only served Lundeen one drink. Due to the chaos in first class, the plane diverted from its original destination and instead landed in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Arizona realtor had his hands zip-tied together and was duct-taped into his airline seat for the final 15 minutes of the flight.

Lundeen was arrested upon arrival in Baltimore by Maryland Transportation Authority police and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.

The FBI took over the investigation, and it is unclear if Lundeen will face any additional federal charges. The bureau told Newsweek in a statement that it is “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 was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault after he allegedly attacked another passenger on an American Airlines flight and made bigoted and harassing remarks to the flight crew. His former employer, Long Realty, said it severed ties with him after learning of the incident (Linkedin)

Attempts to reach Lundeen for comment were unsuccessful.

Long Realty, which worked with Lundeen, said it was severing its ties with him. The Independent has requested comment from Long Realty. The company told Newsweek that it “promptly ended its affiliation” with Lundeen once it learned of the incident.

Lundeen waived the right to an attorney during his first court appearance September 4, according to court documents.

“While real estate agents are independent contractors, the appropriate conduct of anyone associated with Long Realty is paramount to us. To that end, the individual in question is no longer associated with Long Realty,” the company’s CEO, Kevin Kaplan, told The Arizona Republic in an email.

American Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the incident. “On Sept. 3, American Airlines flight 618 diverted to Baltimore (BWI) due to a disruptive customer. Upon arrival, law enforcement met the aircraft and assisted with deplaning the customer before the flight continued to its destination,” the airline said in a statement.

“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence. We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”

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