A JetBlue flight was forced to make an early landing in Minneapolis on Sunday after a man was acting "erratically and aggressively" towards passengers and crew members, the airline said.
40-year-old Mark Anthony Scerbo was arrested at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport and charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to police.
"JetBlue flight 915 with scheduled service from New York's JFK Airport to San Francisco, was forced to divert to Minneapolis after a customer on board began acting erratically and aggressively toward crewmembers and other customers. The flight was met by law enforcement, the customer was removed and the flight continued on to San Francisco," a JetBlue spokesperson said.
The company added: "Safety is JetBlue's first priority, and we appreciate our crewmembers' response and our customers' patience during this incident."
A passenger aboard the flight took a video and posted it to Twitter.
In the cell phone video, a flight attendant can be heard explaining to passengers that Scerbo was refusing to keep his mask on and was "antagonizing" multiple passengers. Scerbo was being aggressive and gesturing a stabbing motion to another passenger, and was also seen "snorting a white substance," the flight attendant said.
Uhhh my @JetBlue flight JFK-SFO just got diverted to MSP because an anti-masker was snorting coke in the bathroom and sexually harassing another passenger... props for to the crew for dealing with this maniac. @OneMileataTime@garyleffpic.twitter.com/CABOec8P3j
— Matt Kawashima (@mattkawashima) May 16, 2021
According to the Hennepin County Jail database, Scerbo is scheduled to appear in court on May 19, and his bail is set at $30,000.
The Federal Aviation Administration is cracking down on misconduct, with civil penalties ranging from $9,000 up to a whopping $52,000.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Why thoroughbred horse semen is the world's most expensive liquid