Passenger violently attacks flight attendant on plane out of Connecticut

David Matthews, New York Daily News on May 29, 2025

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A passenger on a flight from Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport had an onboard outburst and allegedly attacked a flight attendant, the Justice Department said.

The incident occurred Tuesday around 9:30 p.m. on American Airlines Flight 3359 headed for Chicago. The passenger, identified as Julius Jordan Priester, 24, of Wichita, Kan., allegedly got out of his seat, took off his shirt and ran to the back of the plane screaming “help me.”

Priester then grabbed a flight attendant, threw them to the ground and tried to drag them down the aisle while shouting “you’re coming with me,” according to the DOJ.

Other passengers eventually intervened and Priester was taken back to his seat, where he “continued to act erratically” and make “incoherent statements.”

The pilot of the plane declared an emergency and was forced to divert the flight back to Bradley. Once back in Connecticut, Priester was arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation.

He was later charged with interfering with flight crew members, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.

Priester had an initial court appearance on Wednesday and remains detained. A bond hearing is scheduled for Friday.

“We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their assistance,” American Airlines said in a statement.