Retired Police Chief Helps Restrain Passenger After Alleged Midair Meltdown Over Alcohol Cutoff

Retired Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was pulled back into crisis response Thursday — not in Minnesota, but aboard a United Airlines flight cruising thousands of feet above the ground when an ordinary trip suddenly escalated into a midair disturbance.

O’Hara told News Outlet that flight attendants spent roughly 45 minutes attempting to calm an increasingly hostile passenger before he and two off-duty Bergen County, New Jersey, sheriff’s deputies stepped in to help restrain the man.

The former police chief was traveling with his wife on United Flight 1364 from Newark to Fort Lauderdale when, he said, the passenger began repeatedly insulting crew members, trying to leave his seat and acting erratically as flight attendants worked to maintain control inside the cabin.

“About like for the last 45 minutes of the flight … all the flight attendants came over, and they were incredible,” O’Hara told News Outlet. “Incredibly professional, just trying to talk to this guy to de-escalate things.”

O’Hara said he later learned from the Broward Sheriff’s Office after the arrest that the passenger had grown more agitated when flight attendants declined to serve him additional alcohol. The man allegedly kept yelling profanities and making threatening comments before the confrontation became physical.

“It was infuriating to hear a man speak to these women who were just incredibly professional and trying to keep everybody safe that way for so long,” O’Hara said. “And, finally, he just kind of got up and lunged towards them.”

At that point, O’Hara said, two passengers seated near the rear of the plane grabbed the man from behind while he moved quickly from his own seat to assist.

The three men worked together to restrain the passenger using plastic flex cuffs before securing him back in his seat, so the flight attendants could take their seats and the plane could land safely.

O’Hara later learned the two passengers were Bergen County Sheriff’s deputies from New Jersey.

United Airlines also confirmed the incident in a statement to News Outlet.

“Local law enforcement met United Flight 1364 upon its arrival in Fort Lauderdale to address an unruly passenger,” the airline said. “We thank our crew and customers for assisting with the situation and helping ensure the safety of everyone onboard.”

The airline said the Boeing 737-900 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, including two pilots and four flight attendants.

While cellphone video of the confrontation has circulated widely on social media, O’Hara said it doesn’t capture the nearly hour-long effort by the flight crew to peacefully resolve the situation before passengers stepped in.

“No one should take the kind of verbal abuse that they did,” he said. “They were absolute professionals trying to keep everybody safe.”

O’Hara, who spent 25 years in law enforcement before retiring after leading public safety operations in Newark, New Jersey, and later serving as Minneapolis police chief, said the incident underscored just how dangerous violent outbursts can become aboard an aircraft.

“I started to think, ‘Well, geez, what are we going to do if somebody really wants to fight the whole time?’” he said. “It’s dangerous. We’re in such a confined space like that, and someone’s going to act out like that because you don’t know potentially what the motivation might be.”

His wife, who is a lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, was seated nearby throughout the ordeal.

“The only thing I was thinking about was if this goes bad, I know at least she has my back,” O’Hara said with a laugh, adding he has seen her “handle herself on the street” and knew she would be ready if the situation worsened.

Afterward, O’Hara’s wife praised her husband’s actions in a social media post.

“Proud of my husband today,” she wrote. “When a disruptive passenger created a dangerous situation on a flight, he stepped up to help federal agents safely arrest him. Leadership isn’t just about the job you hold, it’s about being willing to help when others need it. Grateful everyone on board arrived safely.”

Looking back on the incident, O’Hara said he hopes Americans choose action over standing by when innocent people are in danger.

“We’re coming up on the 25th anniversary of September 11,” he said. “I would hope everybody in this country now knows that if things are escalating to the point where there’s going to be some kind of violence, I think every citizen that is able to has a duty to try and help to stop it.”

He also said airlines should ensure restraints are readily available and that crew members are trained to use them if passengers become violent.

“I think it would be good to make sure that they have restraints that are available, that at least some people are trained in some way to use them safely to get somebody restrained if they needed to,” O’Hara said.

As of Thursday afternoon, authorities had not publicly identified the passenger or announced any criminal charges.

News Outlet reached out to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Aviation Administration for additional information and comment.