The man whom an IcelandAir flight crew and passengers restrained in his seat using duct tape and zip ties will not face criminal charges.
The 46-year-old Icelandic man was escorted off the flight by police at JFK airport in New York at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The man was taken to a local hospital because he appeared to be intoxicated, a Port Authority spokesperson said.
According to Any Ellwood, the Reddit user who posted a photo of the man covered in tape, the man drank a full bottle of alcohol, then grabbed women, choked other passengers, screamed that the plane was going to crash, and spat on people.
Ellwood told the New York Times the man "became belligerent and started to hurt other passengers.”
Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið reported that Guðjón Arngrímsson, Vice President of Corporate Communication at IcelandAir, confirmed the man was acting dangerously, but would not comment on the photo.
The New York Post reported federal authorities, who have jurisdiction, decided not to prosecute the drunk man, as passengers did not want to provide details about his "threatening behavior."
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