A 67-year-old Arizona real estate agent has lost his job after he allegedly launched into a racist and vulgar tirade aboard an American Airlines flight, forcing an emergency diversion and leading to him being restrained with duct tape and zip ties.
Arthur Layne Lundeen of Tucson was reportedly cut loose from his position at Long Realty after being identified as the man seen in 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 photos bound to a plane seat following Thursday night’s chaos on American Airlines flight 618.
According to witnesses, Lundeen became disruptive near the end of the Dallas-to-Newark trip, reportedly shouting racial slurs at crew members, making anti-gay remarks, and spewing vulgar language toward women seated nearby.
Former law enforcement officer Juan Mejia told ABC News he jumped into action, getting into the seat next to Lundeen and working to restrain the man while his friend Richard Olenick helped keep the situation contained.
Wild images circulating online show Lundeen with his head, hands, and torso wrapped in duct tape, his wrists bound together as fellow passengers struggled to keep him calm until landing.
The plane was diverted to Baltimore, where Lundeen was removed by law enforcement and taken into custody before the remaining passengers could continue to Newark.
Court records show Lundeen now faces second-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges at the state level. The FBI confirmed his arrest by Maryland Transportation Police and said federal agents are interviewing witnesses to determine if federal charges may follow.
Back in Tucson, Long Realty wasted no time distancing itself from the 67-year-old. In a Facebook statement, the company said it “promptly ended its affiliation” with Lundeen, noting the reported behavior was “wholly inconsistent” with the values it expects from team members.
“Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew members, and others affected by this incident,” the statement concluded.
Lundeen’s LinkedIn page, which previously listed him as a vice president at the company, has reportedly been scrubbed from Long Realty’s website.
As the FBI continues gathering the facts and federal charges remain a possibility, one big question lingers: what sparked the mid-flight outburst that upended so many lives in a matter of minutes?
