A commercial flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago after an erratic passenger wearing roughly fifteen face masks began screaming bizarre rants about gay people giving him cancer, according to passengers onboard.

The mid-air chaos unfolded aboard a Sun Country Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Newark on Saturday. Videos circulating online show the man alternating between shouting and playing Candy Crush on his phone before suddenly proclaiming that “the plane is going down.”

Cabin crew swiftly moved to calm passengers while the pilot requested an unscheduled landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Chicago police later confirmed the man was detained upon arrival for evaluation. No injuries were reported.

The flight was diverted from Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Tracking data shows the flight departed MSP at 7:13 a.m. and landed in Chicago just over an hour later. It had been scheduled to arrive in Newark at 9:43 a.m.

Seth Evans, a Minnesota native flying home to New York City, said he was sitting across the aisle from the unruly passenger and witnessed the entire ordeal. As the plane idled in Chicago waiting for police to arrive, Evans described the man’s erratic behavior in a series of text messages, saying he repeatedly stood up, shouted, and then returned to playing Candy Crush.

Evans said the situation escalated when the man began yelling that “the plane is going down,” prompting the emergency diversion. He added that the man was screaming about being “gang chased,” “cooked,” and “radiated” by the LGBTQ community, claiming it was giving him cancer. According to Evans, the man was wearing “no less than 15 masks” stacked on top of one another.

At least once, Evans recalled to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the man shouted, “Trump is here.”

Upon landing, the passenger was handcuffed and escorted off the plane by Chicago police officers without incident. The flight remained grounded as U.S. Marshals and police interviewed passengers about what happened.

A Sun Country spokesperson later confirmed that the diversion was “a precaution in response to a disruptive passenger.”

“The flight landed without incident and the passenger in question was turned over to law enforcement and removed from the aircraft,” the airline said in a statement. “We appreciate our passengers’ patience during the interruption to their travels, and the flight is continuing on to Newark this morning.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, reports of unruly passengers—once rare—surged during the pandemic and remain significantly higher than pre-2020 levels. Although the numbers have declined since mask mandates were lifted, the agency still opens hundreds of investigations each year.

Under federal law, disruptive conduct that interferes with crew duties can result in fines up to $37,000 per violation and potential prison time. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the passenger will face charges.

Sun Country said the remaining passengers were rebooked to Newark after the man was removed from the aircraft. For those onboard, the morning flight turned into a tense, unforgettable experience.

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