UNUSUAL SCENE ON FLIGHT TO NEW YORK: Passenger restrained with duct tape over racist comments on plane!

A man was arrested for allegedly engaging in disruptive behavior on an American Airlines flight, forcing the plane to divert to Baltimore on Thursday night, the airline and investigators said.

Arthur Lundeen, 67, from Arizona, was restrained to his seat with duct tape, while his hands were bound with plastic zip ties, police with the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) said. He was arrested after the plane landed.

The incident occurred on American Airlines Flight 618, which departed from Dallas and was headed to Newark, the FBI and the airline said.

Juan Mejia, a passenger on the flight and a former police officer, told ABC that he began hearing a commotion roughly three-quarters of the way through the flight.

“The gentleman who was sitting two rows behind us started acting aggressively, making derogatory comments toward American Airlines staff and other passengers, using racial slurs, vulgar language and behaving very offensively toward women who were sitting in the row behind him,” Mejia said.

Mejia and his friend Richard Olenick, who were on the plane, said they monitored the situation and intervened after claiming that Lundeen became physically aggressive.

“Juan immediately knew that something had to be done. He got up right away, jumped into the seat next to the passenger and began working to restrain him so the situation could be kept under control,” Olenick said.

Authorities did not provide details about the disturbance that occurred during the flight, but the plane was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) at around 10:15 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is also investigating the incident, said.

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Two passengers said they remained with Lundeen until police officers boarded the plane and arrested him after it landed in Baltimore.

“We did not want to hurt the man; we were more focused on restraining him and keeping him under control so the situation would not escalate further,” Mejia said.

Lundeen was removed from the plane, and the flight continued to Newark, American Airlines said in a statement.

Lundeen was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault “for incidents that occurred on the aircraft at BWI Airport,” MDTA police said.

The reported incident that occurred in the air is being investigated by the FBI.

“Emergency medical services evaluated Lundeen for an open wound on his arm that officers noticed during the arrest,” MDTA police said in a statement.

“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence,” American Airlines said in a statement.

The FBI said the investigation is ongoing.