When an American Airlines passenger allegedly erupted into a violent, profanity-filled meltdown mid-flight, fellow travelers had little idea who would ultimately step in to help bring the situation under control.
One of those passengers has now been identified as Richard O’Lenick, the 53-year-old owner of Gun for Hire in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
O’Lenick was aboard American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas to Newark on Thursday night when Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, allegedly began causing a disturbance that escalated into a confrontation with other passengers and crew members.
According to O’Lenick, the situation began with an unsettling warning.
“I don’t love to fly, and he just looks at me and goes, ‘We’re all going to die. This plane is going to crash,’” O’Lenick told The Daily Voice.
His response was remarkably blunt.
“And I said, ‘You’re going to meet a couple of new friends when we land.’”
Two Passengers Quickly Stepped In
O’Lenick was traveling with Gun for Hire employee Juan Mejia, a retired New Jersey police officer, after the pair had attended a gun expo in Reno, Nevada.
According to O’Lenick, Lundeen allegedly began directing racist and homophobic slurs toward a Black flight attendant before the situation became increasingly aggressive.
When Lundeen allegedly became violent, O’Lenick and Mejia moved to help protect the other people aboard the aircraft.
The two men worked together to restrain him while flight attendants obtained duct tape and zip ties.
For O’Lenick, there was apparently no hesitation about getting involved.
“I knew we were going to be doing this together, it wasn’t a thought,” he said.
Juan Mejia, a sales manager at Gun For Hire LLC and a retired New Jersey police officer, who helped subdue and duct-tape a violent, unruly passenger on an American Airlines flight.Gunforhire.com
‘I’ve Got His Back and He’s Got Mine’
O’Lenick credited the pair’s relationship and mutual trust for helping them handle the chaotic situation.
“I’ve got his back and he’s got mine,” he said.
“It went the way it did because we have a good relationship and we understood each other and neither of us were going to let the other down.”
But the confrontation was far from easy.
O’Lenick said Lundeen continued fighting against the passengers attempting to restrain him and allegedly bit Mejia during the struggle.
The men eventually helped secure Lundeen to his seat, with tape also being used around his head.
“It was a pretty volatile situation for a while,” O’Lenick said. “Safety was definitely a concern, and not knowing where it was going and what the intent was.”
The dramatic episode was captured on video and later circulated widely online, showing Lundeen restrained in his seat as the flight continued toward Newark.
Arthur Layne Lundeen, the American Airlines passenger who was duct-taped and zip-tied after hurling racist and homophobic slurs during a mid-air meltdown.LinkedIn
O’Lenick Says Lundeen Tried to Intimidate Him
Even after Lundeen had been restrained, O’Lenick said the passenger attempted to intimidate him when their eyes met.
But by that point, the immediate threat had been contained.
Once the aircraft landed, Maryland Transportation Police took custody of Lundeen.
Court records show that he was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
The incident also had consequences for Lundeen’s professional life.
He was fired by Arizona-based real estate company Long Realty after the company learned about the alleged in-flight behavior.
For O’Lenick and Mejia, however, the episode was ultimately about protecting the people around them when an already tense situation suddenly became dangerous.
What began with an alarming comment about the plane crashing ended with fellow passengers and crew members working together to prevent the disturbance from escalating further.
And O’Lenick’s response — “You’re going to meet a couple of new friends when we land” — turned out to be a remarkably accurate prediction.