An Arizona real estate agent accused of causing a disturbance aboard an American Airlines flight bound for Newark Airport has lost his job after passengers were forced to help restrain him with duct tape.VIDEO of FIRED 67-year-old man who was duct-taped to his seat after an alleged racist and homophobic outburst aboard an American Airlines flight has been identified as Layne Arthur Lundeen, a vice president at Long Realty in Tucson, Arizona. Lundeen has now been fired. pic.twitter.com/ydZTXg1io7— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 7, 2026Arthur Lundeen, 67, was reportedly disruptive aboard American Airlines Flight 618, which had boarded in Dallas and was later diverted to Maryland. Multiple passengers helped flight attendants restrain Lundeen after he allegedly became physically aggressive.Lundeen was subsequently arrested and is facing charges of disorderly conduct and assault. His attorney’s contact information was not immediately available.Lundeen worked as a real estate agent with Long Realty in Tucson. The company has since ended its affiliation with him, according to Jattvibe affiliate KVOA.“Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual,” the company said in a statement posted on Facebook. “The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity.”Passengers describe chaotic sceneTwo passengers, Richard O’Lenick and Juan Mejia, said they witnessed the incident and stepped in to assist the flight attendants.Mejia, a former police officer, said Lundeen was shouting racial and homophobic slurs before the situation escalated.“The flight attendants tried to de-escalate him. They were just getting spit venom from him, derogatory remarks, racial comments,” Mejia said. “So I said to him, if he escalates from there, I’m going to have to get involved.”According to the passengers, flight attendants initially used zip ties before duct tape was used to further restrain Lundeen.O’Lenick said the passengers took care to ensure that the tape did not obstruct Lundeen’s breathing or vision.“I didn’t cover his eyes, I didn’t cover his airways — his nose, his mouth — that was the most important thing. We’re not looking to hurt the gentleman but we’re looking that he doesn’t hurt himself any further, or us or anyone else,” O’Lenick said.“I’m glad that we were able to do what we did,” he added.American Airlines said passenger and crew safety remained its priority.“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.