The passenger who was attacked during the now infamous “Duct Tape Man” flight has identified himself as Christian author and Messianic Jewish minister Jonathan Cahn, who says the confrontation began after a conversation about Jesus and ultimately became, in his view, a dramatic encounter with spiritual warfare.
American Airlines Flight 618 was traveling from Dallas Fort Worth to Newark on September 3 when a passenger became violent and disruptive, forcing the aircraft to divert to Baltimore. The passenger was eventually restrained to his seat with zip ties and duct tape before being taken into custody after landing. American Airlines has confirmed that the flight diverted because of a disruptive passenger.
What was not initially known was the identity of the man sitting beside him who became one of the targets of the attack. Jonathan has now revealed in a video released through his ministry that he was that passenger. “I was the unidentified passenger, and I was actually attacked 30,000ft in the sky,” he said. You can watch the video below or read to find out more.
Caption: American Airlines Boeing 737 N889NN, the aircraft that operated Flight 618 on September 3. Photo: Liam Thompson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The ‘Duct Tape Man’ flight and a conversation about Jesus
Jonathan’s account begins very differently from the chaotic images that would later spread across the internet.
According to him, the two men initially had a friendly conversation. The other passenger spoke about his family and life, while Jonathan explained that he was an author and minister.
Jonathan said he had quietly prayed for an opportunity to share the Gospel with the man. When their conversation turned to faith, the passenger reportedly told him that his experience of religious hypocrisy was one of the reasons he did not believe in Jesus.
“Religious hypocrites are not Jesus,” Jonathan recalled telling him.
Jonathan went on to speak about sin, forgiveness and what it means to be born again, telling the passenger that salvation is not about humanity somehow reaching Heaven through its own efforts, but about God reaching down to humanity through Jesus Christ.
For several hours, Jonathan says, the conversation remained friendly.
Then, he says, something changed.
Jonathan recalled that after he spoke about the Gospel and experiences in his own life that had convinced him of the reality of God, the passenger’s demeanor abruptly became hostile.
Independent witnesses have also described a remarkably sudden change in the atmosphere aboard the flight. Juan Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer sitting two rows ahead, described the cabin going from quiet to chaos almost instantaneously. Juan said he turned around and saw the passenger with his hands around the neck of the man sitting beside him.
Jonathan says he was that man.
The confrontation became spiritual
Jonathan’s interpretation goes considerably further than the facts established by authorities and other passengers.
He believes the confrontation was an example of spiritual warfare.
In his account, the passenger began cursing Jesus and God and directing his anger toward Jonathan. He also says the man reacted strongly after seeing the cover of Jonathan’s newly released book, “The Altar of Pergamon.”
Jonathan believes the timing was significant because the book explores what he describes as the spiritual forces of darkness operating behind events in human history.
These claims are Jonathan’s spiritual interpretation of what took place and cannot be independently verified. However, several important details of the physical confrontation have been corroborated by reporting from other passengers and authorities.
Published accounts say the disruptive passenger assaulted the man sitting beside him and became involved with a struggle over his laptop. Witnesses also described racist abuse directed toward others aboard the aircraft.
Jonathan says the confrontation escalated further when the passenger tried to take his laptop from him.
“He grabs the laptop violently, trying to wrest it out of my hand,” Jonathan recalled.
He said the two struggled over the computer before he managed to pull it away.
Other passengers then intervened.
Juan and fellow passenger Richard Olenick have independently described helping restrain the man, with duct tape and zip ties supplied by a flight attendant. Juan said he was bitten on the hand during the struggle.
The aircraft diverted to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where police took the passenger into custody. Authorities identified him as Arthur Lundeen (67) of Arizona. Maryland Transportation Authority Police charged him with assault in the second degree and disorderly conduct. The FBI has also been investigating the incident.
Looking beyond the viral images
For Christians watching Jonathan’s account, perhaps the most significant part of the story is not whether every event aboard Flight 618 can be assigned a spiritual explanation.
The Bible teaches believers to recognize that there is a spiritual dimension to the Christian life, while also reminding them that the people in front of them are not ultimately the enemy. Jonathan himself repeatedly returns to Paul’s words in Ephesians 6 that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood.”
That distinction becomes particularly important at the end of his account.
Despite describing an incident in which he says he was grabbed around the neck, struck and injured, Jonathan does not end his story by condemning the man who allegedly attacked him.
“I have nothing against him,” Jonathan said. “I pray for him. I pray for his best. I pray he gets saved.”
That may be the part of this extraordinary story most worth remembering.
The images of a passenger duct taped to an airplane seat were dramatic enough to travel around the world. But behind those images, according to Jonathan, was a conversation about Jesus, forgiveness and salvation that began hours earlier between two strangers sitting beside each other on an airplane.
Whatever conclusions viewers reach about Jonathan’s interpretation of the events, his response offers Christians a familiar challenge: to recognize evil without losing compassion for the person caught up in it, and to continue praying that even someone who responds to the Gospel with hostility might one day encounter the grace of Jesus Christ.
Jonathan’s account also raises wider questions about how Christians understand spiritual warfare today. Pastor Greg Locke has spoken openly about his own journey into deliverance ministry and why he believes the Church needs to take the spiritual realm seriously. See: How Pastor Greg Locke Was Led by God Into Deliverance Ministry
US Christian
FAITH • HOPE • LOVE. We aim to bring a fresh mix of inspirational reports, articles, stories and testimonies to encourage Christians across the USA and beyond.