First class on American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas to Newark was supposed to be extra legroom, free drinks, and the gentle hum of people pretending they weren’t jealous of the people in even nicer seats. Two hours in, that illusion died.Arthur Lundeen, 67, apparently decided the cabin needed a mid-flight sermon mixed with slurs, hostility, and a sudden wrestling match with the guy sitting next to him.
Juan Mejia, a retired law-enforcement officer two rows ahead, turned around and saw hands around a neck. Richard Olenick was right there with him. Flight attendants produced the classic in-flight emergency kit: duct tape and zip ties.
American Airlines passenger duct tape to his seat following unruly behavior onboard flight AA618 Thursday night.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) September 5, 2026
Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, was restrained to his seat with duct tape and his hands were restrained with zip ties, according to the Maryland Transportation… pic.twitter.com/s79nORwCvh
What followed was less “please remain seated” and more “hold still while we turn you into a silver burrito.” Three passengers and crew taped Lundeen to his seat, zip-tied his hands, and kept him there while he bit, bled, and generally proved why first class sometimes needs a bouncer. The plane diverted to Baltimore. Police took over. Everyone else eventually continued to Newark, slightly more bonded than they ever wanted to be.
Moral of the story: if you’re going to lose it at 30,000 feet, maybe don’t do it in first class. The people up there have both extra space and extra motivation to wrap you like a Christmas present no one asked for.