An Irish man is facing decades behind bars over an alleged meltdown that occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight.
According to newly unsealed legal documents, the incident took place Jan. 7 during an eight-hour flight from Dublin to New York City. Prosecutors say the defendant, 29-year-old Shane McInerney, “repeatedly refused to wear a facemask despite being asked dozens of times” by the flight crew. The man allegedly went on to create a series of disturbances, such as throwing an empty beverage can at a fellow passenger as well as pulling his pants down and mooning a flight attendant.
The complaint states that just two hours into the flight, the captain took a break and spent some time talking to McInerney. During the conversation, McInerney allegedly took off his cap and placed it on the captain’s head twice, before putting his fist up to the pilot’s face and saying, “Don’t touch me.”
Prosecutors say the man’s conduct was so concerning that the flight crew considered diverting the plane to another airport so they could remove him before the flight’s completion. McInerney’s alleged behavior, which one passenger described as “scary,” was so disruptive that the crew had to repeatedly stop “their ordinary duties.”
As pointed out on Delta Air Lines’ website, “federal law requires each person to wear a mask at all times while in the airport and when using public transit, during boarding and deplaning, and for the duration of the flight.” Anyone who refuses to comply with the law—regardless of vaccination status—may be prohibited from boarding a plane or removed from an aircraft.
McInerney, who was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court earlier this month, was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. McInerney, who is being represented by attorney Benjamin Zev Yaster, is currently out on $20,000 bond.
“This is unacceptable. Full stop,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told the Daily Beast. “Flight attendants are onboard for the safety and health of the passengers in our care. This type of behavior risks the safety of everyone inflight. It’s good news that the Department of Justice is moving swiftly to prosecute. We are proud of the Delta crew who represented the best of who we are as aviation’s first responders to keep everyone safe.”
