An American Airlines passenger was arrested after he allegedly tried to have sex with a flight attendant and attempted to open the plane door several times sparking mid-air chaos. Eric Nicholas Gapco, 26, a New Jersey resident, had a violent and disruptive outburst after eating too many weed edibles, according to feds who arrested him.
Gapco was on American Airlines flight 2101 from Seattle in Washington to Dallas in Taxes on July 18 when he started acting “unruly,” the New York Post reported quoting the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
As per the report, Gapco peeled off his shirt and began puffing a vape pen, yelling and hitting on a crew member, and propositioning her for sex. A video of the incident also went viral on social media, where flight attendants can be seen helping the feds to restrain shirtless Gapco wildly shouting as crew members. His hands and feet were seen tied with yellow restraints.
#NewJersey man who took 10 edibles tries opening the door of an American #Airlines flight after getting turned down for s*x with a flight attendant.
“Trump 2024,” the man was heard saying as he was escorted off the plane.
26-year-old Eric Nicholas Gapco was arrested after… pic.twitter.com/Jk6BhXFdCG
— CarraDeShaukeen (@CarraDeShaukeen) August 3, 2024
Gapco later, reportedly, admitted to chowing down on 10 marijuana edibles before the outburst. He then allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and tried to open the plane’s exterior doors “multiple times”. During the flight, the wild passenger allegedly also tried to hand over a bag of unidentified pills to another passenger, the New York Post reported prosecutors as saying.
The plane had to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City after Gapco refused to take his seat. Flight attendants reportedly shackled his hands and feet with restraints, while the captain made an emergency landing.
The man was arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport, where he allegedly also broke a glass door and spat on an officer during his arrest, prosecutors wrote in a motion for his detention, as per the New York Post report.
The court documents also said that Gapco earlier denied doing any illegal drugs, but later told his arresting officer he ate “approximately 10 marijuana edibles”, without having any clue how strong they were.
The case is now being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and Salt Lake City Police Department.
