PASSENGER HAD TO BE DUCT-TAPED TO HIS FIRST-CLASS SEAT AFTER MID-AIR MELTDOWN — FLIGHT FORCED INTO EMERGENCY LANDING

Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Texas to New Jersey were left stunned when a disruptive man became so aggressive that fellow travelers and crew members had to restrain him with duct tape and zip ties.

What began as a routine Thursday night flight quickly turned into chaos at 30,000 feet.

American Airlines Flight 618 was traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sept. 3 when the trouble reportedly began about two hours into the journey.

According to PEOPLE, the male passenger was seated in first class when his behavior suddenly escalated.

Witnesses described him shouting racial and homophobic slurs before the confrontation became physical.

A flight attendant reportedly attempted to calm him down.

Instead, the situation became even more violent.

The passenger allegedly assaulted people around him, including another passenger and members of the flight crew. Witness accounts described him choking a fellow passenger and biting another person who attempted to intervene.

With the aircraft still in the air, passengers and crew members eventually had to physically restrain him.

They used zip ties and duct tape to secure the man to his seat for the remainder of the flight.

The extraordinary scene was captured on video and quickly spread online, showing the passenger restrained in the first-class cabin.

THE PILOT MAKES A DECISION

With the situation considered serious enough to threaten the safety and order of the cabin, the aircraft was diverted.

Instead of continuing to Newark, Flight 618 headed for Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland.

The plane landed safely at approximately 10:15 p.m. local time.

Once on the ground, law enforcement officers removed the passenger from the aircraft and took him into custody. Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested him on state charges, while the FBI began investigating whether federal charges could also be pursued.

The passenger’s identity was initially not publicly released by PEOPLE.

ONE DRINK — BUT NO CONFIRMED EXPLANATION

Questions remain about what triggered the extraordinary outburst.

PEOPLE reported that the man had been served one alcoholic drink during the flight, but it was not clear whether alcohol played any role in his behavior.

Authorities had not established a definitive motive for the confrontation.

American Airlines said the aircraft landed safely and praised the crew and passengers for their professionalism in dealing with the incident.

The FAA also confirmed the safe landing.

A FLIGHT NO ONE WILL FORGET

For the passengers aboard Flight 618, a normal trip from Dallas to Newark suddenly became a tense struggle inside a packed aircraft — with fellow travelers forced to help restrain a man until the plane could reach the ground.

The most unusual image from the incident was also the simplest:

A passenger in first class, restrained to his seat with duct tape and zip ties, while an entire flight waited for the aircraft to land.

Authorities are now determining what additional charges, if any, could follow.

The passenger is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.