An American Airlines flight was diverted this week after authorities said a 25-year-old man exposed himself and urinated in the airplane’s aisle mid-flight.
The Oregon man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure following the Wednesday incident, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
American Airlines flight 3921, which was operated by Envoy Air, was traveling from Chicago to Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 3, the airline told Business Insider in a statement.
Crew members on board the aircraft later told authorities that the man exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the plane, forcing the flight to divert from its original destination and land at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to the attorney’s office.
Local law enforcement was called to the gate and took the man into custody, American Airlines said. The flight re-departed shortly after.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
The man appeared in court on Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance, according to the attorney’s office. The charge he faces carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 charge.
The Wednesday incident is just the latest in an ever-growing list of unruly passenger incidents on commercial flights, which have spiked since the pandemic.
In December, a passenger aboard an Air New Zealand flight was fined after urinating into a cup during a deplaning delay. In 2023, a 21-year-old student was barred from future American Airlines flights after urinating on another passenger.