Authorities apprehended a New Jersey resident for allegedly engaging in disruptive and life-threatening behavior during an American Airlines flight.
Eric Nicholas Gapco, a twenty-six-year-old passenger on flight 2101 from Seattle to Dallas on July 18, was described by authorities as exhibiting "unruly" conduct.
Gapco, in addition to proposing a female crew member for sex, made numerous attempts to open the plane's door during the flight, which necessitated an emergency landing, according to the New York Post. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Utah, Gapco removed his shirt mid-flight and began inhaling from a vape pen while muttering and hitting on a crew member, proposing to her for sex. Allegedly, the passenger also assaulted a flight attendant.
The Delanco man's obnoxious behavior on the plane was a result of consuming an excessive amount of marijuana edibles prior to his flight.
Crew members attempted to calm Gapco near the plane's lavatory, as chaotic camera footage reveals him bare-chested and exclaiming, "I am sane!" In a subsequent video, other passengers assist the flight crew by tying up Gapco's hands and feet to force him to remain in the rear seat while the aircraft diverts to Salt Lake City.
Law enforcement apprehended the Delanco resident at Salt Lake City International Airport at approximately 11 a.m. local time. Passengers and crew restrained Gapco's hands and feet after he "failed to comply with the flight crew's directives to remain in his seat, used a vape pen on board in violation of crew directives, briefly locked himself in a lavatory, screamed, and attempted to open the aircraft exterior doors (forward and aft)" while the aircraft was in flight, according to a criminal complaint.
A federal grand jury indicted Gapco on charges of attempting to damage an aircraft and interfering with a flight crew, all under the United States' special aircraft jurisdiction. We have scheduled his initial judicial appearance for Thursday afternoon.
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