- Police say a 25-year-old man urinated in the aisle of an American Airlines flight and exposed himself.
- Authorities say the man was arrested July 3 and charged with indecent exposure.
- The incident is the latest in a series of cases involving disruptive passenger behavior on commercial aircraft.
An American Airlines flight was forced to divert this week after a 25-year-old man exposed his genitals and urinated in the aircraft’s aisle during the flight, authorities said.
The Oregon man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure following Wednesday’s incident, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
American Airlines Flight 3921, operated by Envoy Air, was traveling from Chicago to Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 3, American Airlines said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, the flight crew later told authorities that the man had stripped naked and urinated in the aisle of the plane, forcing the plane to divert from its original destination and land at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
American Airlines said local police were called to the gate and detained the man, and the flight departed shortly thereafter.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,” an airline spokesman said.
The man appeared in court on Wednesday and was released on bail, according to prosecutors. The charges he faces carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Wednesday’s incident is just the latest in a string of incidents of passenger misconduct on commercial aircraft that have skyrocketed since the pandemic began.
In December, a passenger on an Air New Zealand flight was fined after urinating into a cup as he deplaned, and in 2023, a 21-year-old student was banned from flying on future American Airlines flights after urinating on other passengers.
