On July 17, Delta Connection flight 3612, operated by SkyWest Airlines that was going from Omaha to Detroit made an emergency landing because a passenger allegedly tried to open the exit door mid-air. The flight was forced to divert to Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as reported by CNN.
Cedar Rapids Police Department eventually shared a press release on Facebook that mentioned, “On July 17, 2025, at approximately 6:13 p.m., Cedar Rapids Police were dispatched to the Eastern Iowa Airport following an in-air disturbance by a single male passenger on a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit.”
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The press release further mentioned, “The flight diverted to Cedar Rapids where police officers met the flight and arrested the individual. The passenger has been identified as Mario Nikprelaj, age 23, from Nebraska.”
Nikprelaj was taken to Linn County Correctional Center where he was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, tax stamp, possession of prescription medication, and harassment 1st degree. The police however, added, “Further charges are possible pending further investigation.”
The airline has also issued a statement that said, “SkyWest has zero tolerance for unruly behavior as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority.” As reported by 7News WWNYTV, the flight eventually started its journey again at 8:30 p.m. local time. It reached its original destination Detroit at 10:35 p.m, which was one hour and 37 minutes after the expected time, as Flight Aware reported.
Delta connection 3612 to Detroit, diverts to Cedar Rapids. 7700
byu/Prestigious-Car-7783 inflightradar24
Such unruly and irrational behavior on the passengers’ part causes a lot of delay and trouble for other passengers as well as the flight crew. Earlier this month, a man named Taj Taylor caused a huge ruckus on an Allegiant flight heading to Virginia after he claimed that his laptop was a bomb.
The comment naturally generated fear among the passengers and after the flight crew came to know about this, the plane made an emergency landing at St. Pete-Clearwater Airport in Florida. However, after Taylor and his bag were searched, no bomb was found and it was clear that he made the comment without putting much thought to it.
As Taylor was taken into custody, he informed the authorities that was apparently released from a mental health facility only recently and since he took his medication the previous night, he did not have a clear thought process in place. He was released the next day of his arrest.
