Unruly Passenger Tied to Seat as Frontier Flight Diverts to Raleigh

Storyful

A Frontier Airlines flight from New York City to Orlando was diverted to Raleigh, North Carolina, on February 9 after a passenger threatened violence against other passengers and had to be subdued, according to eyewitnesses and local media.

This footage from passenger Savannah Figueroa shows the moment a group of men tried to tie the passenger down with belts and zip-ties so the plane could safely land in Raleigh.

Speaking to Storyful, Figueroa said the man had threatened a mother and her young son after accusing them of poking him and trying to steal his DNA.

She said the man continued to threaten violence against others on the plane and had attempted to break a window before a group of passengers, instructed by flight attendants, tied him down to the seat.

Storyful reached out to Frontier Airlines for comment but had received no response by the time of publication.

According to local media, the plane landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) where it was met by law enforcement and other emergency responders. The passenger was removed and the plane continued its journey to Florida later that evening, reports said.

WRAL reported on Thursday that the FBI had not filed federal charges against the passenger and that an investigation was ongoing. Credit: Savannah Figueroa via Storyful

Video Transcript

- What y'all doing? Sit down. [INAUDIBLE] Sit down. No. Sit down. No. [INAUDIBLE] Oh my god. [MOANING] I swear to god. No, let me go. Let me go. [INAUDIBLE] I swear to god. [INAUDIBLE] [YELLING] [INAUDIBLE] You can't do this. - Tie it through here [INAUDIBLE]. - Oh my god. [INAUDIBLE] - Hey y'all, he needs to sit in a seat. So don't tie his feet like that. He needs to be able to sit in a seat. - Hey. Hey. Would y'all do something. Would y'all do something? - We're going to let go, relax. - Don't let me go. No. [INTERPOSING VOICES] - [INAUDIBLE] in the front of the plane. We do ask that if you are not involved in the situation, please [INAUDIBLE] Remain seated, please. [INAUDIBLE]