SALT LAKE CITY — A New Jersey man was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday after he was arrested for allegedly unruly behavior on an American Airlines flight from Seattle to Dallas, officials said.
Court documents say Eric Nicholas Gapco, 26, of Delanco, New Jersey, was on board the July 18 flight when he "assaulted and intimidated a flight attendant and aircraft crew members."
Gapco is charged with interference with a flight crew and attempted damage to an aircraft.
According to the court documents, Gapco allegedly "failed to follow instructions to remain in his seat, propositioned a flight attendant for sex, was repeatedly loud, vaped, bothered other passengers, locked himself in the lavatory, and attempted to open the aircraft exterior doors multiple times while the aircraft was in flight."
Video obtained by CNN shows flight staff trying to control a screaming man locked in the bathroom on the Dallas-bound flight. The flight was diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport.
The flight crew, with help from passengers, was able to restrain Gapco with flexible restraints to his feet and hands during the flight, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Utah.
As Gapco was being escorted off the plane by police upon landing in Salt Lake City, video shows him bouncing up and down saying "you say potato, I say potato."
American Airlines sent WFAA the following statement:
“On July 18, American Airlines flight 2101 with service from Seattle (SEA) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) diverted to Salt Lake City (SLC) due to a disruptive customer. The aircraft was met by law enforcement upon arrival at SLC. The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority. We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
More Texas headlines:
