A Newark-bound commercial flight was forced to land in Chicago after an erratic passenger wearing over a dozen masks began ranting that gay people were giving him cancer. The Sun Country Airlines plane had departed Minneapolis for Newark when the incident occurred on a Friday morning, leading to a reroute to Chicago after the man’s outbursts escalated into screaming, including declarations like “The plane is going down!”
Passengers reported the chaos started shortly after takeoff, as the man rambling about being gang chased by gay people. He also claimed he was being radiated and cooked by them, insisting they were giving him cancer. Witnesses noted the man had at least 15 masks over his mouth and, at one point, bizarrely shouted “Trump is here.” The flight landed safely in Chicago, where the passenger was handed over to law enforcement and removed from the aircraft without further incident.
Between outbursts, the man allegedly focused on playing a round of Candy Crush before resuming his loud rants. His declarations about the plane crashing ultimately led to his removal. Upon landing at O’Hare International Airport, the individual was handcuffed and taken by Chicago police. Passengers were questioned by U.S. Marshals before the plane resumed its journey to Newark.
The airline confirmed the incident concluded without further issues, stating, “The passenger in question was turned over to law enforcement and removed from the aircraft.” A spokesperson added, “We appreciate our passengers’ patience during the interruption to their travels and the flight is continuing on to Newark this morning.” The FBI has since taken over the case.
This incident marks another example of unruly passengers disrupting flights and stranding travelers for hours or even days. Just last month, a drunk woman allegedly threatened to blow up a Frontier Airlines plane, leading to a confrontation with police.
