New Jersey Gun Shop Owner Recognized as Hero After Duct‑Taping Violent Airline Passenger

When you’re on a cross‑country flight, you expect turbulence, maybe a cold drink, but certainly not a full‑blown melee. Yet that’s exactly what happened on American Airlines Flight 618 Thursday night as it coursed from Dallas to Newark.

In the aisle, 67‑year‑old Arthur Layne Lundeen erupted into a barrage of racist and homophobic slurs aimed at a Black flight attendant. Within seconds, his rant turned physical – he lunged, shoved, and even bit a fellow passenger.

Enter Richard O’Lenick, 53, the unassuming owner of the Gun for Hire range in Woodland Park, N.J. He wasn’t traveling for fun; he was headed home after a gun expo in Reno, accompanied by Juan Mejia, a retired New Jersey police officer who now works at O’Lenick’s shop.

“I don’t love to fly,” O’Lenick told The Daily Voice after the incident, shaking his head. “He looks at me and says, ‘We’re all going to die. This plane is going to crash.’ I told him, ‘You’re going to meet a couple of new friends when we land.’”

Mejia and O’Lenick didn’t need a moment to think. Instinct kicked in. They sprang forward, tackled Lundeen, and held him down while flight attendants scrambled for duct‑tape and zip‑ties from the galley. The duo worked like a well‑rehearsed team – “I’ve got his back and he’s got mine,” O’Lenick said, emphasizing the trust that had formed between the two men.

Lundeen fought back fiercely, even managing to bite Mejia’s arm, which forced the pair to tape his head to the seat to keep him restrained. The scene was chaotic, volatile, and, for a few minutes, terrifying for everyone on board.

When the plane finally touched down in Newark, Maryland Transportation Police were waiting. Lundeen was taken into custody, later charged with second‑degree assault and disorderly conduct. The fallout didn’t stop there – his employer, Long Realty of Arizona, promptly terminated his employment after learning of the mid‑air tirade.

For O’Lenick and Mejia, the episode was a stark reminder that ordinary citizens sometimes have to step into extraordinary roles. “Safety was a huge concern,” O’Lenick reflected, “and we just did what we felt was right – protect the other passengers.”

Today, the gun‑shop owner is being celebrated as a hero, not just for his quick action, but for his calm, decisive response in a situation that could have ended much worse.