A passenger on a flight from Reykjavik to New York City because he was hitting people, yelling profanities and spitting, according to Icelandair .
Thursday’s flight received widespread media attention after a photograph began circulating on the Internet purporting to show the passenger tied to his seat with tape and plastic restraints. The man who posted the photograph on Tumblr , Andy Ellwood, said it was taken by a friend.
The photograph initially popped up on Facebook and Reddit on Thursday, showing the lengths the other passengers took in an attempt to keep other passengers safe, says the Examiner .
Icelandair spokesman Gudjon Arngrimsson said:
“To ensure the safety of those who were on board he was restrained by the crew and passengers and then was monitored for the duration of the flight for his own safety. He drank an entire bottle of some duty free alcohol . Then he tried grabbing the women who were sitting next him screaming that we’re going to crash. Finally he started chocking [sic] a guy next to him and that’s when a huge crowd restrained him and tied him up. This was 2 hours into a 6 hour flight.”
He said he couldn’t validate the photo’s authenticity but confirmed that the airlines commonly carry plastic handcuffs and tape to restrain possible dangers. The airline said police removed the man from the plane when it landed at Kennedy Airport at around 6:30 pm.
Yahoo News reports that a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Ron Marsico told reporters that police took the 46-year-old man to a hospital after determining that he was drunk. No charges were filed, he said.
The passenger’s name wasn’t released.
