American Airlines Passenger Shoved Twice, FAA Inspector Said Remove The Aggressor—They Kicked Off The Man Reporting It

Passsengers on American Airlines flight 4586 from New York JFK to Indianapolis were physically shoved twice by another customer on board, and everyone got removed from the 8 p.m. departure on December 27.

A man and his girlfriend were connecting from London Heathrow. The shoving started before they boarded, and happened again on the Republic Airways Embraer E170 regional jet.

• The assailant repeatedly asked where the passenger lived, and made threats including wanting to fight and threatening to “beat [his] ass” upon landing in Indiana. That customer was reportedly abusive toward several other passengers and the crew also.

• The passenger shared this with flight attendants and asked for Port Authority police. He says nothing was done.

• However, an FAA inspector was allegedly onboard, identified himself to the crew, showed a badge, and advised removing the aggressive passenger. However, the reporting passenger was removed.

The passengers getting kicked off were stuck overnight at New York JFK, had limited funds, and paid $829 (!) for a hotel. They called police multiple times themselves, with officers eventually showing up at Gate 36.

Meanwhile, the customer they reported was removed from the aircraft too and supposedly was given a morning flight, while they weren’t able to travel until later in the day. They report being “flagged” in American’s system for “being disruptive.”

@_lopezjayy PLEASE TAG – American Airlines AND @BritishAirways TikTok, we need your help. I am filing a formal complaint regarding American Airlines’ handling of a serious onboard safety incident involving my girlfriend and me as well as a couple others. This occurred on American Airlines Flight AA4586 from JFK to Indianapolis, scheduled to depart at 8:00 PM on December 27, 2025. This was our connecting flight from London, and we were just trying to get home. Before boarding and again once onboard, another passenger physically shoved me. He repeatedly asked where I lived and made threatening statements, including saying he wanted to fight me. He was also verbally abusive toward multiple passengers and the flight crew, and explicitly threatened to “beat my ass” when we landed in Indiana. Multiple passengers were affected, including an older gentleman with a disability. I reported this behavior to the flight crew, stated that I felt unsafe, and requested that Port Authority or airport law enforcement be contacted. That request was not acted on. An FAA inspector was onboard. He identified himself to the flight crew, showed his badge, and advised that the aggressive passenger should be removed due to his behavior. Despite this, I was removed from the aircraft instead, even though I was the reporting passenger and the one who was physically and verbally threatened. After being removed, no assistance was provided by American Airlines. My girlfriend and I were left late at night in a state we had never been in before, with limited funds, and were forced to pay $829 for a hotel. I personally had to call Port Authority multiple times before officers arrived at Gate 36 in Terminal 8 at JFK. We were later informed that the aggressive passenger was placed on an earlier flight the next morning, while we were denied that option and forced onto a later departure. We were told this was because that passenger was on the earlier flight. To make matters worse, my girlfriend and I were later told that we were flagged in American Airlines’ system as “being disruptive,” despite being the victims who reported a safety issue. A gate manager told us, “If you feel unsafe, you need to get off the plane,” instead of removing the passenger causing the disturbance. I have filed complaints with the FAA and the Department of Transportation, but I am posting here to ask for visibility and accountability. Victims should not be punished for reporting safety concerns. Please help by tagging and sharing. @American Airlines @British Airways ♬ original sound – _lopezjayy

Tagging British Airways in the TikTok caption is a little odd, but the flight is marketed as a BA codeshare (BA 4677). Having come in from London he was probably ticketed that way.