A passenger aboard a United Airlines flight was taken into custody following allegations of assaulting a flight attendant and attempting to breach the cockpit as the aircraft landed at Newark Liberty International Airport.
United Flight 1837, arriving from the Dominican Republic, encountered the alarming incident around 6 p.m. on Saturday. The situation escalated to the point where the pilot had to declare an onboard emergency.
The tense moments were captured in audio exchanges between the flight crew and air traffic control, revealing the pandemonium that unfolded upon arrival at the New Jersey airport.
In the recording, a crew member urgently communicates with air traffic controllers, stating, “We’re declaring an emergency, seems like someone just attacked one of our flight attendants.”
The crew member requested that emergency personnel be dispatched to meet the plane on the runway to manage the unruly passenger.
Continuing the distress call, the crew member added, “A gentleman just attacked one of the flight attendants and tried to open the forward main cabin door,” highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
“Tried to gain access to the flight deck.”
“Oh my god,” the ATC worker responds.
Police detained a 48-year-old passenger at the gate and took him to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, ABC 7 reported.
Some 170 passengers and six crew members were on board the Boeing 737 at the time.
The injured crew member refused medical attention.
