An unruly passenger on an American Airlines flight from Hartford, Connecticut, to Chicago O’Hare, flew into a violent, midair rage and grabbed a flight attendant by the collar and threw them to the ground before attempting to drag them along the aisle of the plane.
The extraordinary outburst occurred on Tuesday night aboard American Airlines flight AA3359, which was operated by the Fort Worth-based carrier’s wholly owned regional subsidiary Envoy Air.
Details of the alleged crime have been made public after the FBI filed a criminal affidavit in federal court charging the suspect with interference with flight crew members, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment plus a fine of up to $250,000.
24-year-old Julius Jordan Priester was initially taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation after the plane made an emergency landing back at Bradley Airport on May 27 but has since been remanded to a Connecticut corrections institution ahead of a criminal trial.
The US Magistrate Judge who ordered Priester’s detention cited a history of violence and use of weapons, as well as a history of drug and alcohol abuse and violations of probation and parole for his decision to remand Priester behind bars.
Flight 3359 departed Bradley Airport more than four hours late on Tuesday, according to popular flight tracking website Flight Radar 24 and Flight Aware, and climbed to 24,000 feet as it started to make its way to Chicago.
“PRIESTER grabbed the Victim by the shirt collar, shouted “you’re coming with me,” and forcefully brought the Victim to the ground”
FBI affadivit
According to an FBI affidavit, around 30 minutes into the two-hour flight, however, Priester suddenly leaped up from his seat near the back of the plane and screamed, “Help me!” before grabbing a flight attendant a few rows behind by the collar and “forcefully” taking them to the ground.
Priester then allegedly tried to drag the victim along the aisle of the plane as another flight attendant, and passengers pleaded with him to stop.
Passengers waded into the melee and managed to prise Priester off the flight attendant as the pilots declared an emergency and turned straight back around to Bradley Airport, where law enforcement was waiting to meet the aircraft.
During the short flight back to Bradley Airport, Priester continued to act in an erratic manner and made “incoherent statements.”
Along with a possible criminal conviction, Priester could also be slapped with a hefty civil penalty by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As part of its war on unruly passengers, the FAA has the power to issue fines of up to $37,000 per violation of aviation safety rules.
Many incidents involve multiple violations.
According to the FAA, in April 2025, the agency received 138 unruly passenger reports from airlines across the United States–that marks a massive 80% reduction compared to March 2021, when 720 reports were filed.
Read the affidavit below:
All about “them”, huh?