Passengers Help Cuff Man Aboard Flight To Newark: Prosecutor

NEWARK, NJ — A resident of Washington D.C. was arrested earlier this year after he allegedly threatened flight attendants and had to be cuffed with the aid of other passengers during a flight to Newark, authorities announced this week.

Kedus Yacob Damtew, 38, was charged by complaint in Newark federal court with interference with flight crew members and attendants by assault or intimidation. He appeared in federal court in Washington D.C. and was released, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors released the following allegations against Damtew:

“On June 12, 2024 – shortly before landing on a flight from Houston, Texas – Damtew removed his shirt [and] pushed his bare chest into a flight attendant, pinning the flight attendant against the aircraft exit door, shouted epithets and threats of physical violence, and punched an aircraft oven. Damtew then followed the same flight attendant to the rear of the aircraft, where he continued to shout threats and epithets and threw a cup of water. Another flight attendant requested assistance over the airplane’s public address system, prompting several passengers to assist in securing Damtew in flex cuffs in the last row of the plane until the flight landed at Newark.”

If convicted, the charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

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