Texas Man Accused Of Punching Flight Attendant, Disrupting Flight

GREENVILLE, TX — A North Texas man was arrested and charged March 2 after he allegedly attacked a flight attendant and stated, "The plane has been hijacked." According to a release from the Department of Justice, Colby Isaac Hilleary, 24, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the offense.

According to the release, Hilleary was on an American Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas. Shortly after takeoff, he left his seat and ran to the front of the plane. A flight attendant told him he needed to return to his seat, but he responded, "the plane is going the wrong way," and "there are no pilots on the plane."

The flight attendant reportedly assured Hilleary that pilots were, in fact, flying the plane and that it would soon turn to head toward Dallas. The man returned to his seat, but his disruptive behavior did not stop.

The release states the flight attendant went over to Hilleary to again assuage his concerns, but he shouted, "The plane has been hijacked," and became more agitated.

He then jumped up from his seat, the release states, and physically attacked the flight attendant. She was punched in the face before other passengers took Hilleary to the ground and subdued him.

The plane made an emergency landing in Tampa, and Hilleary was arrested.

He posted a $2,000 bond and was released from the Hillsborough County Jail on Tuesday morning, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

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