Passenger’s “They’re Killing Me” Cry Leads To Duct Tape On American Airlines Flight To Miami

by Gary Leff

An American Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro to Miami on Saturday experienced a disturbance prior to departure involving a passenger who had a meltdown. The incident, captured on camera, showed the man screaming in Spanish, claiming he was being killed.

Crew members and passengers intervened, restraining the man and attempting to use duct tape to secure him. The man yells “help” and “they’re killing me” in Spanish, while a passenger attempts to use duct tape on his mouth.

Despite the commotion, there were no arrests reported, and the Boeing 777-200 did not face any delays due to the incident. The flight, American Airlines 948 (misreported elsewhere as flight 9948) departed 1 minute late, at 10:11 p.m., and arrived 3 minutes early in Miami at 4:52 a.m.

It’s just as unclear who was killing the passenger as it is which m-f’er was ‘unreal’ during Crazy Plane Lady’s July meltdown on American Airlines.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

More articles by Gary Leff »

Comments

  1. You sure it was Spanish?
    They speak Portuguese in Brazil.
    Could have been a Spanish speaker onboard but far greater chance it was Portuguese.

  2. Why duct tape and restrain a passenger having a meltdown BEFORE DEPARTURE on an international flight? When restraining a passenger experiencing potentially excited delirium, it is not medically advisable to seal the mouth with duct tape as it can lead to a compromised airway. In an article from the Journal of Paramedic Practice titled “Excited Delirium Syndrome authored by Brian Sengstock and Janet Curtis, published on March 2, 2022:

    “Excited delirium syndrome involves extreme agitation and aggression in a patient with an altered mental status; around one in ten cases ends in cardiac arrest. It has two main triggers: acute drug use and psychiatric illness. Patients display violent behavior, increased pain tolerance, and great strength; they pose significant risks to themselves and those around them. Maintaining safety on scene is paramount, which can be supported by a dual response by paramedics and law enforcement officers, and the patient is likely to need restraining or sedation. Treatment is non-specific and involves managing symptoms and complications such as hyperthermia, acidosis and rhabdomyolysis.”

  4. The flight actually diverted to Manaus (MAO) in Brazil and the passenger was arrested there by the Federal Police. You can see on FlightRadar24 that Dec 28 AA948 landed in MAO around 05:05 UTC and departed around 7:04 UTC to Miami.

  5. @Tim Dunn
    I’m fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and I can attest the passenger was a Spanish speaker.

Comments are closed.