A SkyWest flight had to make an unscheduled landing in Iowa after a passenger attempted to open an emergency door and clashed with a flight attendant, according to reports.
Authorities from the Cedar Rapids Police Department stated that 23-year-old Mario Nikprelaj from Nebraska was arrested on Thursday at Eastern Iowa Airport, following his disruptive behavior while in flight.
“The flight was rerouted to Cedar Rapids because this individual tried to open the exit door and then engaged in a scuffle with the crew and other passengers,” a traveler, who claimed to be onboard, posted on X, including a video of law enforcement escorting a man off the plane.
The pilot of Delta Air Lines 3612 – which was being operated as SkyWest Flight 3612 — was also heard saying on air traffic control audio that a passenger onboard was “in a fight with a flight attendant right now, trying to open the emergency exit,” according to ABC News.
A Delta Connection (Skywest Airlines) Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet taxis to the gate on a rainy day in November 2015 at Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah. A SkyWest flight from Omaha, Nebraska to Detroit, Michigan on Thursday, July 17 was diverted following an “in-air disturbance,” police said. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday from Fox News Digital.
Police in Cedar Rapids said Nikprelaj was transferred to the Linn County Correctional Center and was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and first-degree harassment, among other charges.
Passengers board a SkyWest Airlines Bombardier CRJ-100 passenger plane at Denver International Airport on Sept. 7, 2016. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
“Further charges are possible pending further investigation,” it also said.
