Delta passenger Shane McInerney arrested for face mask meltdown on flight from Dublin to JFK
A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Ireland to New York City “repeatedly refused to wear a face mask despite being asked dozens of times” by the flight crew, and at one point stripped fellow passengers to “moon” their fellow travelers, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The Daily Beast.
Shane McInerney’s alleged public meltdown took place on January 7, while Delta aircraft number 45 was en route across the Atlantic from Dublin to JFK airport, the complaint, which was opened on Friday, states.
In addition to putting himself and others at risk by becoming maskless, “McInerney threw an empty drink can, which hit the head of Individual-1[ads1], who was a passenger on the plane above,” and “kicked the back of the passenger seat in. In front of him, and disrupts Individual-2, another passenger, “the archiving continues.
McInerney then reportedly went from the economy class seat to the first-class section of the plane, where he “complained about the food to Individual-3, one of the flight attendants; and – in the process of being escorted back to his seat – pulled down his trousers and underwear, revealing the buttocks of Individual-3 and nearby passengers. “
Later in the eight-hour journey, the pilot – identified in the complaint as “Individual-4” – came out of the cockpit to talk to McInerney about his behavior.
“During the conversation, the defendant took off the hood twice, placed the hood on Individual-4’s head and removed it from Individual-4’s head,” the complaint states. “The defendant also put one of his fists close to the face of Individual-4 and said, ‘Do not touch me.'”
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
When the plane made its last approach to JFK, “McInerney disobeyed the orders of the flight attendants,” he got up in the aisle and refused to sit down again, according to the complaint, which states that “at least one passenger found the defendant’s behavior to be scary.”
“Due to the defendant’s many disruptions, flight crew members considered redirecting the aircraft to another airport,” the complaint explains.
The FBI was notified of “several disturbances” on McInerney’s flight while the plane was still in the air. When the plane landed on JFK, he was arrested by the airport police.
In an email to The Daily Beast, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant confirmed the incident, saying, “Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and on board our planes, since nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers.”
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told The Daily Beast on Friday: “This is unacceptable. Full stop. The flight attendants are on board for the safety and health of the passengers in our care. “It’s good news that the Department of Justice is moving quickly to prosecute. We are proud of the Delta crew who represented the best of who we are as aviation’s first aiders to keep everyone safe.”
Delta employees are largely non-union, although Nelson continues to try to organize his workforce.
The FAA imposed more than $ 1 million in fines on unruly passengers last year. About 70 percent of the incidents were related to masks. On Wednesday, an American Airlines plane on its way from Miami to London turned around for an hour on the trip because a “disruptive customer” refused to wear a face mask. Redirecting an aircraft could mean additional costs for the airline of more than $ 60,000, according to court records from other similar cases reviewed by The Daily Beast.
Last month, an “unruly” Delta passenger was taken into custody by FBI agents after an argument over face masks went out of hand during a flight from Tampa, Florida to Atlanta.
“Such situations are rare for the vast majority of our customers, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and on board our aircraft,” the airline said in a statement at the time.
McInerney was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court, where he was formally charged with involvement in flight crew members, and released on $ 20,000. The offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
In an email to The Daily Beast, McInerney’s court-appointed lawyer, Benjamin Zev Yaster, declined to comment.
The highly contagious Omicron variant led President Joe Biden to extend the Transportation Security Administration’s mask mandate in December, requiring travelers to wear face masks on planes, trains and buses through March 18.
“My plan I am announcing today is giving no impetus to the fight against COVID-19,” Biden announced.
Those who refuse to follow the rules can be fined up to $ 3,000. The federal restrictions do not apply to passengers under 2 years of age and persons with certain disabilities.
