An unruly passenger who grabbed an American Airlines flight attendant by the collar before throwing him to the floor and pinning him down with “full force” in an unprovoked mid-air rage has avoided jail time after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
25-year-old perpetrator avoids jail time
On Tuesday, 25-year-old perpetrator Julius Jordan Priester was sentenced in a Connecticut district court after pleading guilty to one count of interfering with flight crew members.
Despite prosecutors calling for Priester to be incarcerated for his “extremely serious” unruly behavior that could have led to “grave consequences,” in order to promote respect for not only the law but also flight attendants, Priester avoided any further time in jail.
Instead, Judge Stefan R. Underhill sentenced Priester to one year of probation and a fine of $500. Restitution will be decided at a later hearing.
Priester has a history of violent behavior, and in 2023, he was also convicted of violent assault with a deadly weapon after he pulled a gun on a friend and fired at a vehicle after a dispute prompted by Priester vomiting in his friend’s car.
Prosecutors did, however, acknowledge that Priester has dealt with “significant trauma” following the tragic death of his parents and had turned to alcohol and drug use.
Flight attendant dragged by collar in violent outburst
Priester’s horrific assault on the flight attendant occurred on May 27, 2025, aboard an American Airlines flight AA3359 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Chicago O’Hare which was operated by the Fort Worth-based carrier’s wholly owned regional subsidiary Envoy Air.
Around 30 minutes into the two-hour flight, Priester suddenly leapt up from his seat near the back of the plane, stripped off his shirt, and screamed, “Help me!” before grabbing a flight attendant a few rows behind by the collar and forcefully taking them to the ground, according to an FBI affidavit.
The flight attendant screamed for help, and a second crew member rushed to his aid, trying to calm Priester and get him to release his grip on her colleague.
The second flight attendant told investigators that it seemed as if Priester was using all his force to pin the victim to the floor and feared that he would try to get to the back of the plane to interfere with the doors.
Passengers also waded into the melee and prised 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.
Priester admitted to taking an edible before the flight departed, which could have caused his strange outburst. He was held in custody until July 2025 before being released on remand as court proceedings continued.
Maximum sentence is 20 years imprisonment
The maximum sentence for interfering with flight crew members is 20 years imprisonment plus a fine of up to $250,000. That being said, it’s rare even for unruly passengers to receive a jail sentence in these cases, let alone any significant amount of time in federal prison.
Prosecutors in this case seem to suggest that sentencing in these types of incidents needs to be toughened up, saying that a custodial sentence in Priester’s case would have captured “the severity of his conduct and also promote respect for not only the law, but also the men and women whose job it is to ensure the safety and well-being of airline passengers.
Unruly passenger receives unusual custodial sentence
Earlier this month, however, an unruly passenger did receive a rare custodial sentence for interfering with flight attendants after threatening to kill an 80-year-old crew member on a Delta Air Lines regional flight from Omaha, Nebraska, to Detroit, Michigan.
Mario Nikprelaj, 24, from Shelby Township in Michigan, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for his terrifying behavior aboard Delta flight DL-3612 last July when he poked the elderly flight attendant in the chest and threatened to kill him.
Rather unusually, the court imposed a stiffer sentence than had been called for by prosecutors.
