A jet plane traveling to Detroit from Omaha on Thursday evening was forced to make an emergency landing after a 23-year-old passenger shoved a flight attendant, threatened to kill him and lunged in an apparent effort to open an emergency exit door midflight, according to the authorities and another passenger.
The man, Mario Nikprelaj of Elkhorn, Neb., was arrested by the police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after the plane touched down at Eastern Iowa Airport, the authorities said. He was charged with several crimes, including assault and disorderly conduct.
Flight 3612, which was being operated by SkyWest Airlines, an independent carrier that runs regional jets for Delta Air Lines as Delta Connection, had 67 passengers and 4 crew members on board, SkyWest Airlines said.
Jonathan Spencer Van der Waarden, a passenger on the flight who was flying home to Michigan after a work trip, said in an interview on Friday that Mr. Nikprelaj’s behavior had been erratic from the beginning of the flight.
He said that Mr. Nikprelaj had unfastened his seatbelt and stood up during takeoff. Then, during drink service, Mr. Nikprelaj, who was seated in the exit row, prompted panic among passengers when he lunged for an emergency exit in an apparent attempt to fling it open, Mr. Van der Waarden said.
“One guy is yelling: ‘Hey, we need help back here! He’s trying to open the door,’” Mr. Van der Waarden said.
