This is the moment an everyday hero puts a drunk passenger in a chokehold on a Ryanair flight — sparking cheers from other travelers.
The incredible intervention was caught on camera before police arrived and arrested the 22-year-old man.
Dean Whiteside, 26, a manual laborer from Dagenham, Essex, England — a suburb of London — was returning from a bros trip in Girona, Spain when he filmed the scenes after the plane had touched down at Luton airport.
He explained that the drunk man had been causing problems throughout the two-hour flight.
He said: “He was making a nuisance of himself. Over the course of the flight he was singing loudly with his headphones on. It was a late flight, everyone was tired and he was rubbing people up the wrong way.”
“The stewardess spent about an hour telling him, ‘You’re going to need to be quiet or I’ll call the police.’”
Warning: Graphic Content
But the passenger refused to quiet down and when the plane landed at Luton at 11 p.m. on June 30, the police were called.
It was then that the disruptive passenger tried to push his way past a cabin crew member before saying: “Get out of my face.”
This was the final straw for the everyday hero who sprang into action.
The grey-haired man jumped out of his seat and put the man into a chokehold so powerful that the passenger slumped to the floor unconscious.
In the video, the passengers watching the encounter are clearly on the vigilante’s side.
They break into spontaneous applause as he overpowers the disruptive passenger before shouting: “Citizen’s arrest!”
Dean said: “I could see it brewing up that’s the reason I got my phone out, ready to film it.”
“The guy was lifeless in his arms like a rag doll.”
The cabin crew restrained the disruptive passenger while other flyers disembarked the plane. He was then arrested for common assault.
A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police said: “We were called to attend Luton Airport arrivals at 11 p.m. on June 30 following reports of a passenger acting aggressively on an inbound flight.”
“A 22-year-old man from Dagenham was arrested on suspicion of common assault and being drunk on an aircraft.”
“He was taken into police custody and dealt with by way of simple caution.”
Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said: “The crew of this flight from Girona to London Luton requested police assistance upon arrival after a passenger became disruptive inflight.”
“The aircraft landed normally and the passenger was met by police. We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.
“This is exactly why we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports.”