CHICAGO (WLS) — Authorities in Wisconsin told ABC News the unruly passenger on Friday night appeared to be confused and in a mental health crisis.
This comes as air traffic control audio revealed the terrifying moments in the sky that forced the pilot to issue a hijacking alert.
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It was a tense midair scare as a United flight 2005 from Chicago bound for Minneapolis was forced to change course after the airline said a 75-year-old man tried multiple times to breach the cockpit.
The Boeing 737 took off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Friday night with 147 passengers and six crew members on board.
But just before 9 p.m., the captain diverted to Dane County, Wisconsin as five law enforcement officers on board struggled to subdue the man in the aisle.
Mike Rundle snapped a photo from his seat and says the man seen in blue is not the suspect but instead was helping to interpret.
“Five officers came on the plane, asked him to stand up, put handcuffs on him, and walked him out. We are taking this very seriously, and of course, you have to you never know the intentions of any person that might be trying to get into the cockpit of a commercial airplane,” Rundle said. “Somebody with the, some sort of device and a sweatshirt that said bomb squad walked by. We were going to have to go to the gate. So, law enforcement could sweep the plane.”
No injuries were reported. The remaining passengers resumed their flight after security checks.
The FBI is leading this investigation and told ABC News no charges will be pursued.
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