A New Jersey gun shop owner is speaking out after helping restrain a disruptive passenger with duct tape during a tense American Airlines flight.
Richard O’Lenick, 53, who owns Gun for Hire in Woodland Park, was traveling back from a gun expo in Reno with employee Juan Mejia when the incident unfolded. The pair were on the second leg of their journey, flying from Dallas to Newark, when 67-year-old Arizona resident Layne Arthur Lundeen allegedly became unruly onboard.
O’Lenick and Mejia, a retired police officer, stepped in to help the crew secure Lundeen in his seat using zip ties and duct tape. They then helped keep him restrained as the American Airlines flight was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
‘It was a pretty volatile situation for a while,’ O’Lenick recounted to the Daily Voice. ‘Safety was definitely a concern, and not knowing where it was going and what the intent was.’
According to O’Lenick, the first two hours of the flight had passed without incident before the situation suddenly escalated.
But at around 10pm, Lundeen, whom passengers said appeared to be drunk, started yelling at the male passenger seated next to him.
The realtor was allegedly going on a tirade about Jesus and going to hell, which caused a flight attendant to come over to see what the commotion was, sources previously told TMZ.
Lundeen, who was sitting in first class, then allegedly called the black flight attendant the N-word and made homophobic comments, the outlet reported.
Richard O’Lenick, 53, and his employee Juan Mejia, a retired cop, sprang into action last Thursday night to help subdue an unruly passenger on their American Airlines flight home to New Jersey
Layne Arthur Lundeen, 67, was left duct taped to his seat as the plane diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Airport
‘Everyone on the entire plane was on alert that something was not right, but we didn’t know what was going on or why,’ O’Lenick said.
Lundeen then started flailing his arms minutes later, and struck another passenger before grabbing their throat.
The woman seated behind Lundeen began hitting him and Lundeen then struck her.
At that point, Mejia decided to jump in, helping the passenger next to Lundeen escape before taking the empty seat and restraining the unruly passenger. O’Lenick soon followed.
‘I knew we were going to be doing this together, it wasn’t a thought,’ O’Lenick said. ‘I’ve got his back and he’s got mine.’
As the two men tried to calm Lundeen down, one of the flight attendants brought them zip ties while a third passenger helped secure Lundeen, who continued fighting, even allegedly biting Mejia.
The flight attendant then suggested they tape Lundeen’s mouth, but Mejia refused because he did not want to interfere with Lundeen’s breathing, O’Lenick recounted.
They instead decided to duct tape Lundeen to his seat – wrapping it around his head as well when he tried to bite O’Lenick.
‘He was still fighting us through the entire process,’ the gun shop owner said.
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O’Lenick said the first two hours of the flight from Dallas, Texas were uneventful
Lundeen was taken into custody when the plane landed at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (pictured), and was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault
At one point, Lundeen looked directly at O’Lenick and gave him a sober warning.
‘I don’t love to fly and he looks at me and goes, “We’re all going to die. This plane is going to crash,”‘ O’Lenick said.
‘And I said, “You’re going to meet a couple of new friends when we land.”‘
Lundeen eventually started to settle down but then continued to resist as passengers learned the flight was being diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
When the plane then began its descent, O’Lenick said he was asked to return to his seat for landing.
But within 10 to 15 seconds of him moving away, Lundeen once again started attacking Mejia.
O’Lenick then sprang back into action and helped hold Lundeen through landing.
Once on the ground, Maryland Transportation Police and federal agents boarded the plane. O’Lenick and Mejia remained with Lundeen until the authorities handcuffed him and removed the unruly passenger from the plane in a wheelchair.
‘It went the way it did because we have a good relationship and we understand each other and neither of us were going to let the other down,’ O’Lenick said of his friendship with Mejia.
Still, the flight was further delayed as Lundeen had injured his arm – leaving blood in the cabin that required a cleaning crew to come aboard twice.
The real estate company Lundeen worked for has confirmed to the Daily Mail that he has been fired from his position
Lundeen now faces charges of disorderly conduct and second-degree assault in Maryland, as the FBI mulls whether to add federal charges.
The real estate company Lundeen worked for has also confirmed to the Daily Mail that he has been fired from his position.
‘Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight,’ CEO Kevin Kaplan said.
‘Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity.
‘The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.’