US man tries to have sex with crew mid-flight, attempts to open the door

A man was arrested on an American Airlines flight for a violent and disruptive outburst, which included attempting to open the plane’s doors mid-flight and propositioning a flight attendant, federal prosecutors said.

The 26-year-old Eric Nicholas Gapco of New Jersey caused chaos on flight 2101 from Seattle to Dallas on July 18. A criminal complaint details how Gapco removed his shirt, vaped, and asked a flight attendant for sex. Video footage from KSLTV5 shows him yelling and acting aggressively as the flight crew tried to calm him.

"I am sane! I am sane!" Gapco is heard screaming in a video. He also yells, "He’s hurting me!" as a group huddles around the lavatory where he had locked himself.

The flight crew and passengers managed to restrain Gapco with "flexible restraints". A video shows a shirtless Gapco being escorted down the aisle with his hands bound. The plane was diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport, where Gapco was arrested. He allegedly continued his unruly behavior at the airport, smashing the glass door of a holding cell.

Gapco faces charges of interference with a flight crew and attempted damage to an aircraft, along with state charges of damaging a jail and assault on an officer. Prosecutors allege Gapco consumed about 10 marijuana edibles before the flight and tried to distribute unidentified pills to another passenger. He was indicted by a grand jury on July 31.