Passenger Exposed Buttocks and Threw a Can During Flight, Prosecutors Say

A passenger who refused to wear a mask on a flight from Dublin to New York exposed his buttocks, threw a can at a passenger and told the captain not to touch him.

The passenger on the Delta flight from Dublin to JFK was charged with assault and intimidating a crew member. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Benjamin Yaster, Mr. McInerney's lawyer, declined to comment on the charges. Mr. McInerney was released on a $20,000 bond after his initial appearance in federal court.

Since the start of the Pandemic, unruly and sometimes violent behavior has surged on airplanes. The federal government requires passengers to wear masks, but many refused to do so.

An American Airlines flight from Miami to London turned around about an hour into its journey because of a passenger who refused to wear a mask.

A passenger was accused of punching an American Airlines flight attendant in the nose after a mask dispute. In December, a California woman pleaded guilty to punching a flight attendant on a Southwest Airlines flight and chipping her teeth.

The administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration said during an online discussion this week that they had seen a dramatic increase in unruly passenger incidents over the past year.

The rates are down a lot, but there is still more work to be done. This is something that we need to keep focused on.

An F.B.I. agent said that Mr. McInerney refused to wear a mask many times during the flight. He hit another passenger in the head with an empty beverage can, kicked the seat back in front of him, and disturbed the passenger there.

He walked from his seat in the economy section to the first class section and complained about the food. While being escorted back to his seat, Mr. McInerney exposed his buttocks to the flight attendant and passengers sitting nearby.

The captain spoke to Mr. McInerney about two hours into the flight. Mr. McInerney put his cap on the captain and then removed it again, the statement said.

The statement said that he put a fist close to the captain's face and told him not to touch him.

The flight crew considered taking the plane to another airport because one of the passengers found Mr. McInerney's behavior to be scary.

The flight continued onward. The statement said that Mr. McInerney refused to sit as the plane was making its final approach to J.F.K.