This is the moment a ‘drunk and abusive’ man is detained by four passengers onboard an eight-hour flight.
The incident happened on a JetBlue flight from Gatwick Airport to New York JFK on January 30.
The video showed a group of Brits, who stepped in to help the airline staff calm the man down, struggle to restrain him.
One could be seen holding him in a headlock, however, the allegedly drunk passenger managed to wriggle free.
A woman, dressed in grey tracksuit bottoms and a black t-shirt, asked the passenger holding him to remove his finger from near the man’s eye.
She said: ‘Please get that off of his face,’ to which he replied: ‘I can’t just leave him.’
She adds: ‘No, no, no listen, don’t tell me to stop.’ A fellow flyer told the woman to ‘move back now’.
She then said: ‘Ben, Ben Stop fighting them. Stop fighting them,’ whilst the four hero customers attempt to hold him back.
The clip then showed the group standing in the narrow gangway as they knocked into seats, with other passengers recording the footage on their mobiles.
As the man attempted to escape from them, one said: ‘Right take him down.’ The woman said: ‘No’ and then started sobbing.
The group managed to restrict him and moved him down the plane aisle, towards two cabin crew members.
One passenger said: ‘Jesus Christ,’ While another exclaimed: ‘What the f***.’
Another man appeared to try and reassure someone and said: ‘Don’t worry I’m right here.’
Witness Grant Saunders, who works as a hypnotist, was on the flight and said: ‘The men from the back of the plane came down to assist.
‘They eventually tackled him to the floor. I felt sorry for elderly couples who were sitting around where it was happening.
The lads got a round of applause as they left.’
Mr Saunders claimed the man was ‘drunk and getting loud and aggressive’ whilst moving around other seats on the flight.
‘Then when the crew asked him to calm down, he started getting worse,’ he continued.
‘Then he started wandering about the aisle, the crew asked him to sit in his seat and he then started getting aggressive.’
The flight took off from Gatwick at 11.55am and arrived on time at 8.16pm GMT on Tuesday.
Another passenger, called Nick, said: ‘They managed to restrain him and prevent the flight from being diverted and causing major disruption to the passengers and crew.
‘Due to their brave and brilliant efforts, the flight landed without further incident.
‘They need to be recognised by the airline.’
JetBlue has been approached for comment.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
