Two ordinary passengers aboard a flight that suddenly erupted into chaos and violence are now being hailed as heroes for their intervention.
Richard Olenick and retired police officer Juan Mejia jumped into action during that now-infamous midair incident that ended with a disruptive passenger duct-taped to his seat.
Olenick and Mejia spoke to CBN News about what unfolded, including witnessing the man reportedly strangling another passenger who turned out to be none other than the Messianic author, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn.
As CBN News recently reported, the incident began after an extensive conversation between Cahn and the man next to him suddenly shifted into profanity and verbal abuse by the other man.
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The episode then turned into a dangerous altercation in which Cahn was being strangled.
“I turned back… the individual had his hands around his {Cahn’s} neck, choking him and strangling him,” Mejia said. He knew from his training as a retired police officer that he needed to act, and he knew just what to do.
But one factor complicated their efforts when Mejia and Olenick tried to subdue the man, because he had cuts on his arms from trying to grab Cahn’s laptop. “He was bleeding all over the place, so we were trying to grab him and he would slide out because had blood on him, we had blood all over us,” Mejia recalled.
Beyond the physical assault, the pair recounted the assailant’s alarming threats to the safety of everyone on board. Olenick recalled, “He looked at me directly and he said, ‘This plane, we’re all going to die. This plane is going to crash’.”
The two passengers utilized their composure and Mejia’s law enforcement background to contain the threat.
Mejia explained that their goal was de-escalation, not violence. “At no time were we looking to fight him, hurt him in any way. My training is control, deescalate, get him to submit and calm him down,” he said.
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Olenick credited Mejia’s professionalism with helping manage the situation effectively.
“Juan’s experience and overall professionalism and training… that really helped set the tone for the dynamic. He was first on this gentleman and I think from the get-go kind of helped set the tone,” Olenick said.
The plane made an emergency landing in Baltimore, where the FBI and local authorities took the suspect into custody.
Despite the severity of the incident, which included the assailant biting Mejia’s hand, the two heroes stayed with the individual until law enforcement arrived, ensuring the safety of their fellow passengers.
Hear the details from Jonathan Cahn’s perspective:
‘Totally Demonic’: Jonathan Cahn Says He Was Attacked by Viral Duck-Taped Man on Plane
