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Unruly passenger awaits trial after ‘disgraceful behaviour’ on Delta flight.
An Irishman who refused to wear a facemask during a flight to New York and exposed his buttocks to a flight attendant faces up to 20 years in prison in the US.
Shane McInerney, 29, is charged of interfering with a flight crew’s duties and intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew during a Delta Air Lines flight from Dublin to John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 7.
According to the criminal complaint, McInerney allegedly refused “dozens of requests” from the flight crew to mask up, before pulling down his pants and underwear, mooning passengers and flight staff.
The complaint filed on January 8 by FBI special agent Mark Palagiano, recounts numerous unruly incidents on the flight.
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At one point, McInerney allegedly threw an empty can and hit a passenger on the head, according to the complaint, while he also kicked the back of the seat in front of him.
The captain reportedly made his way to the economy class cabin and spoke to McInerney in an attempt to calm the Irishman down.
Palagiano alleges that McInerney twice took off his cap and placed it on the captain’s head during the conversation, while he also put his fist close to the captain’s face and said “don’t touch me”.
He was arrested upon arrival in New York.
McInerney was headed to Florida to take up a job at a soccer academy. Instead he now finds himself on a $20,000 bail as he awaits trial.
Interfering with flight crew is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
In a statement, Delta said the airline “has zero tolerance for unruly behaviour at our airports and aboard our aircraft as nothing is more important that the safety of our people and our customers”.
