SEATTLE — A plane flying from Seattle to Beijing had to turn back around, thanks to a disruptive passenger who had an inexplicably violent urge to get off the plane.
KIRO 7 reports that Delta Airlines flight 129 was cruising at about 32,000 feet when first class passenger Joseph Hudek rushed out of the lavatory and tried to open an exit door.
Two flight attendants tried to grab him, but he pushed both of them off and punched one in the face, twice. Another passenger trying to help was hit in the head with a wine bottle.
As the scuffle continued, one flight attendant grabbed two wine bottles and smashed Hudek on the head with them, breaking at least one. Though the hit didn’t seem to affect him, a passenger managed to put him in a headlock, and he was eventually restrained with zip-ties.
After an attendant notified the cockpit, the pilot called in the situation and the plane was diverted back to Seattle.
Officers came and took the 23-year-old into custody. He was handcuffed and zip-tied to a wheelchair, but continued to be belligerent even as he was rolled out of the terminal.
The Tampa, Florida resident was charged with interfering with a flight crew, which carries penalties of up to $250,000 and could see him jailed for up to 20 years
According to USA Today, Hudek had a beer before takeoff, but didn’t appear to be intoxicated, so it’s unclear what prompted him to act out. He was reportedly able to push the emergency release lever halfway to the disarm position, but the door would not have opened with the plane at such a high altitude.
