An unusual incident at Newark Liberty International Airport in the U.S. state of New Jersey has become a major topic on social media. During a delay on the tarmac, a female passenger who lost her temper and insulted a flight attendant was taken off the plane. The moment was recorded by another passenger, shared on TikTok, and quickly reached hundreds of thousands of views.
According to the New York Post, the incident occurred on 10 November on a flight preparing to depart for Charleston. The passenger who shared the video summarised the situation by saying, “This woman went absolutely crazy, and we had to return to the gate to get her off.”
1.5-Hour Tarmac Delay, Rising Tension in the Cabin
The video shows a blonde woman seated by the window shouting at a flight attendant walking down the aisle. While the crew member avoids any confrontation and keeps walking, the woman begins to have a meltdown.
The passenger, who lashed out by saying, “After keeping us on the tarmac for an hour, I have the right to stand up,” continued with harsh profanity, escalating the tension in the cabin. When she realised she was being recorded, she suddenly fell silent and tried to calm down, but the atmosphere was already strained.
According to witnesses, passengers had been made to wait for three hours before boarding and then had to endure another hour and a half on the tarmac. The TikTok user said, “Everyone was exhausted. Then when this woman started screaming, the cabin went dead silent.”
Passengers Tried to Calm Her Down, but Failed
Reportedly, other passengers tried to calm the woman down, but she became even more aggressive, shouting at those around her and insulting them. At one point, she even told people to “kill yourselves” and went into a long tirade about how difficult her life was.
Another passenger tried to ease the tension by saying he was trying to make it to his mother’s funeral and that everyone was under the same stress, but this attempt also failed.
The crew, concerned that the woman might be having a physical breakdown, seated several large male passengers near her. Eventually, the aircraft returned to the gate, and the woman was removed. It was reported that she put on her sunglasses on the way out and said, “Thank God.”
“The Crew Were Like Angels”
The passenger who recorded the incident described the cabin crew as “real angels,” stating that everyone acted extremely professionally.
Throughout November, U.S. airports were experiencing historic delays due to a federal government shutdown and staffing shortages. It is believed that long waits contributed to tensions like this.
