A United Airlines passenger is in deep you-know-what after “smearing feces everywhere” aboard a Chicago to Hong Kong Flight, forcing it to land in Anchorage overnight Thursday.
The passenger, a 22-year-old man who apparently speaks little English, was reportedly released from jail just two days prior in Indiana, where he was living with his aunt. His family, reporter Scott Gross said, had bought a one-way ticket for him to Vietnam.
Aboard the flight, prior to using the restroom, the man spilled drinks on the floor, spit food from his mouth, shook adjacent seats, and “fidgeted with the emergency exits.” Once in the bathroom, witnesses say, he locked himself in.
Fellow passenger BJ Canup said they “heard a loud bump in the bathroom.” Two other passengers, Tri Nguyen and Evans Mendonca, then “calmly talked the young man out.”
But that was just the beginning.
Canup said the lavatory was “quite a sight,” with “crap everywhere.”
“He was stuffing his shirt in the toilet then wiping it on the walls,” Canup said. “I don’t know if he was trying to wipe crap on or wipe it off. He was shirtless and his shirt was beyond wearable again.”
Officials said the man even tried to cram his shirt down the toilet. The Washington Post reported that officials said the man soiled “a couple” bathrooms on board.
After calming him down, three passengers stood behind the man once he sat next to Nguyen. When the flight landed at 6:30 p.m. at Ted Stevens International Airport, the police, FBI, Homeland Security, and border patrol were waiting.
The man did not resist as law enforcement officials handcuffed and guided him to a secure location in the airport, where they interviewed him.
“The translator got the impression that this young man was gravely disabled,” Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Lt. Joe Gamache said.
Although the man wasn’t charged, officials took him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
The Boeing 777 was held overnight for “maintenance” as United put up passengers in hotels.
United 895 was scheduled to take off for Hong Kong at 1:30 p.m. local time Friday, but was delayed by one hour and 18 minutes.