- A 25-year-old man exposed himself and urinated in the aisle during an American Airlines flight, police said.
- According to authorities, the man was arrested on July 3 and charged with indecent exposure.
- The incident is the latest in a long list of incidents involving unruly passengers on commercial flights.
An American Airlines flight was diverted this week after a 25-year-old man undressed and urinated in the aisle of the plane during the flight.
The Oregon man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure following the incident on Wednesday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
American Airlines Flight 3921, operated by Envoy Air, was en route from Chicago to Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 3, the airline told Business Insider in a statement.
Crew members aboard the plane later told authorities that the man exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the plane, forcing the plane to divert from its original destination and land at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the attorney’s office said.
According to American Airlines, local police were called to the gate and the man was arrested. The flight departed shortly thereafter.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,” an airline spokesperson said.
The man appeared in court Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance, the attorney’s office said. The charges he faces carry a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Wednesday’s incident is just the latest in a growing list of incidents involving passengers on commercial flights, which have increased since the pandemic began.
In December, a passenger on an Air New Zealand flight was fined after urinating in a cup during a delayed disembarkation. In 2023, a 21-year-old college student was banned from future American Airlines flights after urinating on another passenger.