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A disruptive traveler on board caused an unscheduled return of a Milan-bound flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport shortly after departure. The incident, which occurred a few hours into the flight, left passengers shaken as they recounted the unsettling disruption in the air.
Departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport around 7 p.m. on Monday, American Airlines Flight 198 was en route to Milan when the pilot made an unexpected announcement. Approximately four hours into the journey, the pilot informed the passengers that one individual among the roughly 300 on board was behaving disruptively, as per CBS News.
A male passenger reportedly threw a fit when he did not receive his preferred meal – and was forced to sit in an exit row with a baby.
“We kind of noticed a scuffle in the back,” passenger Krystie Tomlinson told the outlet, explaining that the man was “charging at the stewardesses.”
“They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on.”
Tomlinson said the situation escalated when the man allegedly charged through the aisles and attempted to break into the cockpit.
Passengers said they landed back in New York around 3 a.m. and then had to wait on the plane for the man to be escorted off by authorities.
The FAA is investigating the incident.