In recent days, there’s been a lot of talk about an incident that took place on a United Airlines flight.
According to Yisroel Liebb, a man from New Jersey, the pilot allegedly grabbed him by force while he was in the bathroom and dragged him out with his pants still down.
Liebb’s Version of Events
According to the complaint filed by Yisroel Liebb, the incident occurred on a United Airlines flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston, Texas, where he was supposed to catch a connecting flight to New York.
About 30 minutes after takeoff, Liebb says he went to use the rear lavatory, as permitted. After roughly 20 minutes inside, a flight attendant, concerned by how long he’d been in there, asked his travel companion to check on him.
Liebb reportedly explained through the door that he was experiencing intestinal issues and would be out shortly.
Another 10 minutes passed, and when he still hadn’t come out, the pilot allegedly approached the lavatory and began yelling at the door, demanding that Liebb come out immediately. From inside, the passenger replied that he was okay and would exit soon.
According to the complaint, the pilot wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Enraged, he forced the lock open and dragged Liebb out of the bathroom, with his pants still around his ankles.
Liebb claims he hit his head and legs on the door frame during the incident. Once outside, he quickly pulled up his pants. The pilot then allegedly forced both Liebb and his companion back to their seats, threatening to have them arrested.
The Arrest and Release
In fact, once they landed, several officers boarded the plane to take both men into custody.
Again, according to the men, there was no basis for the arrest and no one was able to explain the reason for it.
After being released without any charges, United Airlines offered the two passengers a free rebooking on a flight to New York the following day but did not provide overnight accommodation or meals.
The airline preferred not to comment on the incident, and a spokesman simply said that there was “nothing to share.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated, through public affairs liaison Hilton Beckham, that “officers responded to reports of a disturbance on a flight at the request of the airline,” adding that “due to ongoing litigation, we are unable to provide further comment.”
