Latest news with #JuliusPriester
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Terror on American Airlines as passenger attacks flight attendant
A man was arrested for allegedly attacking an American Airlines crew member mid-flight and dragging up the plane aisle. Julius Jordan Priester, 24, of Kansas, was arrested and charged with assault of a crew member on a Chicago -bound flight Tuesday night, according to the Department of Justice. Priester allegedly started to take off his shirt about 30 minutes into the flight and ran to the back of the plane yelling 'help me'. He then grabbed the flight attendant out of their seat and shouted 'you're coming with me' as he forced them to the ground, prosecutors claim. He then tried to drag the crew member up the aisle, but several other passengers stepped in and were able to get Priester back to his seat. After the alleged assault, Priester continued to act erratically and made incoherent remarks, the DOJ states. The pilot was forced to return the plane to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut and make an emergency landing. Priester was removed from the plane by Connecticut State Police and transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. He is detained pending a bond hearing that is scheduled for today.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Passenger accused of dragging American Airlines flight attendant and shouting "you're coming with me"
A Kansas man who allegedly dragged an American Airlines flight attendant up the aisle of a plane is facing charges, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Julius Jordan Priester, 24, was traveling from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut to Chicago on Tuesday night, the DOJ said. American Airlines said in a statement that the plane was bound for O'Hare International Airport. The flight took off around 9:30 p.m. Less than an hour into the flight, Priester allegedly stood up, began to take off his shirt, and ran to the back of the plane yelling "Help me," federal prosecutors said. Priester then allegedly grabbed a seated flight attendant and shouted "You're coming with me," the Justice Department said. Priester allegedly pulled the flight attendant to the ground, then attempted to drag the attendant up the aisle. Other staff and passengers intervened in the incident, the Department of Justice and American Airlines said. Priester was returned to his seat, but continued to "act erratically and make incoherent statements." The pilot declared an emergency, and the flight was diverted back to Bradley International Airport. Once the plane landed, the Connecticut State Police removed Priester. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, the Department of Justice said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut State Police are investigating. Priester has been charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants. The charge carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. Priester made a court appearance before a magistrate judge in Hartford, Connecticut on Thursday. He is being detained pending a bond hearing scheduled for Friday, the Department of Justice said. American Airlines said in a statement that it does "not tolerate violence." "We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their assistance," the airline said. Last month, an American Airlines flight from New York to Milan had to turn around after a man allegedly became irate after not receiving his preferred meal and being told he couldn't sit in an exit row with a baby.
Fox News
6 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Man charged after allegedly attacking flight attendant on American Airlines flight: DOJ
A man on board an American Airlines flight from Connecticut to Chicago Tuesday night faces charges after he allegedly forced a flight attendant to the floor and attempted to drag the flight attendant up the aisle while acting erratically, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a news release, the DOJ said 24-year-old Julius Jordan Priester, of Wichita, Kansas, was arrested and charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Priester was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 3359, which departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, at about 9:30 p.m., en route to Chicago. Court documents filed Wednesday allege that, during the flight, Priester stood up, began to take his shirt off and ran toward the back of the plane, yelling, "Help me!" Priester then allegedly grabbed a flight attendant who was seated, and he shouted, "You're coming with me," before forcefully taking the victim to the ground. The DOJ alleges that after taking the flight attendant to the ground, he attempted to drag the victim up the aisle. Passengers intervened, and Priester was returned to his seat, where the DOJ said he continued to act erratically and spoke incoherent sentences. The captain of the flight declared an emergency, and flight data from shows the plane turned around over the Finger Lakes region of New York before heading back to Bradley Airport, where it landed just before 11 p.m. Once the plane returned to the gate, Priester was removed from the aircraft by Connecticut State Police and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. American Airlines told Fox News Digital it does not tolerate violence on its flights. "On May 27, American Eagle Flight 3359, operated by Envoy, with service from Hartford (BDL) to Chicago (ORD), returned to BDL due to a disruptive customer," the airline said. "We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their assistance." On Wednesday, Priester appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford, Connecticut. Priester was ordered detained pending a bond hearing scheduled for Friday. The FBI is investigating with assistance from the Connecticut State Police.
New York Times
6 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Plane Is Diverted After Man Assaults Crew Member, U.S. Says
A Kansas man is facing federal charges after he grabbed a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight on Tuesday night, threw the person to the ground and tried to drag them up an aisle, federal prosecutors said. The man, Julius Jordan Priester, 24, of Wichita, Kan., was on a plane flying from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., to Chicago when he began acting erratically around 10 p.m. — some 30 minutes into the one-hour flight, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Connecticut. According to an affidavit filed by an F.B.I. special agent, Mr. Priester began taking off his shirt and ran toward the back of the plane while yelling, 'Help me.' He then grabbed a flight attendant, who was seated, by the shirt collar and forced the person to the ground, shouting, 'You're coming with me,' according to the affidavit. He then tried to drag the attendant up the aisle, ignoring flight crew members' calls for him to stop, it said. Passengers helped get Mr. Priester back into a seat, where he continued to be disruptive and speak incoherently, prosecutors said. The captain declared an emergency, and the flight was diverted back to Bradley Airport. Connecticut State Police removed Mr. Priester from the plane, and an ambulance took him to a hospital for evaluation, prosecutors said. He was arrested at the hospital, according to the affidavit. Mr. Priester was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, prosecutors said. Mr. Priester is being held pending a bond hearing scheduled for Friday, prosecutors said. Prosecutors filed a motion for pretrial detention in part because Mr. Priester has a criminal history in Kansas, including a conviction for aggravated assault and a parole violation charge. A public defender for Mr. Priester did not immediately return requests for comment on Wednesday night.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Shirtless American Airlines passenger tackles, pins crew member as flight to Chicago is thrown off course
An American Airlines flight from Connecticut to Chicago was thrown into chaos Tuesday night when a passenger suddenly ripped off his shirt and assaulted a flight attendant, pinning the crew member to the cabin floor as shocked travelers scrambled to and pry him off. Julius Jordan Priester allegedly became 'incoherent,' authorities said, once the journey was underway, according to a federal complaint filed Wednesday and obtained first by The Independent. The midair melee forced the pilot to divert the plane back to Bradley International Airport in Hartford. Priester, a 24-year-old Kansas resident, is currently on probation for a previous aggravated assault conviction, prosecutors said in a detention motion. An American Airlines spokesperson did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a request for comment. Priester does not yet have an attorney listed in court filings and was unable to be reached for comment. On the evening of May 27, American flight 3359 took off without incident, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by an FBI agent in support of the complaint against Priester. However, the affidavit goes on, things took a sharp turn for the worse less than an hour into the two-hour-and-forty-minute trip. That's when Priester, who was seated toward the rear of the aircraft, abruptly stood up, removed his top, and ran to the back of the plane, yelling, 'Help me,' the affidavit states. Priester then grabbed a flight attendant by the shirt collar, shouted, 'You're coming with me,' and 'forcefully brought the [flight attendant] to the ground,' the affidavit continues. As he 'attempted to drag the [flight attendant] up the aisle,' the affidavit says, other members of the flight crew shouted at Priester to stop. But Priester allegedly 'refused to comply with repeated flight crew instructions to cease his actions, and he held the [flight attendant] to the ground.' Another flight attendant reported the fracas to the captain, who declared an emergency and diverted the plane back to Hartford, the affidavit states. 'Priester was returned to a seat after the intervention of passengers on board the aircraft,' according to the affidavit. 'While under watch of one of the intervening passengers, Priester continued to act in an erratic manner, grabbing and holding onto the arm of the passenger and making incoherent statements.' Court filings do not provide details on what might have prompted Priester's outburst. The flight landed safely back at Bradley Airport shortly after 10 p.m., and Priester was removed by officers with the Connecticut State Police, the affidavit says. An ambulance transported Priester to a local hospital for evaluation, where he was formally arrested on Wednesday by the FBI on one count of interference with flight crew members, a felony. In a detention motion filed alongside the complaint, prosecutors called Priester's alleged offense 'extremely serious,' arguing that he put 'the safety of all the passengers in danger.' The motion says Priester has an established criminal history, and that his employment history and family ties to Connecticut are 'largely unknown and unverified.' 'Taken together, the government submits that the defendant poses a danger to the community that no condition or combination of conditions will sufficiently mitigate, nor will they reasonably assure his appearance at future proceedings and prevent his likely flight if he is released into the community,' the motion argues. In the first five months of 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has so far fielded 637 reports of unruly passengers; the agency received a total of 2,102 unruly passenger reports in 2024. Bad behavior in the sky hit a modern-day high in 2021, with 5,973 passengers being reported for unruliness. Earlier this year, a retired New York City firefighter was arrested after authorities said he got drunk and tried to enter the cockpit on an American Airlines flight from New York City to Tokyo. In March, a serial groper was banned for life from American following his third in-flight groping allegation aboard one of the carrier's airplanes.
