ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal complaint has been filed, nearly a week after authorities say an unruly passenger caused an Orlando-bound flight to be diverted to Raleigh.
The criminal complaint accuses Michael Aaron Ganter of violating U.S. Code, as it relates to interfering with a flight crew.
The FBI says Ganter assaulted and intimidated flight attendants, as well as threatened to kill people on the plane.
Frontier Airlines Flight 1335 left LaGuardia around 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 9. It was supposed to fly nonstop to Orlando.
Ganter was seated in 2A aboard the Airbus A320neo.
According to the criminal complaint, he was asleep at first – but woke up after about an hour and began making worrisome statements to travelers seated around him.
One passenger told the FBI Ganter claimed somebody was sticking him with needles and collecting his DNA in the air. The complaint says Ganter claimed to be from a non-existent Native American tribe with a raunchy name.
As his behavior grew more erratic, the complaint says Ganter threatened to slap people and beat them to death. Some of the various threats were allegedly directed toward a child and the kid's mom.
"Ganter stated he would kill the child and beat the child's mother in front of the child," the complaint said.
As things grew more heated, a flight attendant began rearranging nearby passengers to help. As 5-6 able-bodied passengers began closing in on Ganter, the complaint says he aggressively stood up. Authorities say fellow travelers restrained his hands with zip ties and held his feet with saran wrap, as he flailed to avoid being tied up.
He threw a punch at one passenger, the complaint said, while another passenger was tossed into a window during the scuffle.
Flight attendants reportedly blocked the cockpit door, as a precaution.
The pilots diverted the jet, which landed in Raleigh around 7:45 p.m.
Police boarded the plane and removed Ganter, who the FBI says was taken to a hospital to be evaluated. Investigators say he was issued a trespass notice by the airport.
Around 9:40 p.m., the flight took off again. It finally arrived late the same night at Orlando International Airport.
