NEW YORK (AP) — An Orthodox Jewish passenger says a United Airlines pilot forcibly removed him from an airplane bathroom while he was experiencing constipation, exposing his genitalia to other flyers during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston.
Yisroel Liebb, of New Jersey, described his trip through allegedly unfriendly skies in a federal lawsuit this week against the airline and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, whose officers he said boarded the plane upon landing and took him away in handcuffs.
Liebb and a fellow Orthodox Jewish traveler said the pilot made disparaging remarks about their faith. They said they were forced to miss a connecting flight to New York City while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers paraded them through an airport terminal, placed them in holding cells and searched their luggage.
“CBP Officers responded to reports of a disturbance on a flight at the request of the airline,” CBP Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs Hilton Beckham said. "Due to the ongoing litigation, we are unable to provide any further comment.”
United Airlines declined to comment. Messages seeking comment were left for a lawyer representing Liebb and the other traveler, Jacob Sebbag.
In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, Liebb said he was in the bathroom in the back of the plane for about 20 minutes on Jan. 28 when a flight attendant woke Sebbag from a nap and asked Sebbag to check on him.
Liebb said he explained his gastrointestinal predicament and assured Sebbag that he would be out soon. Sebbag then relayed that to the flight attendant, the lawsuit says.
About 10 minutes later, with Liebb still indisposed, the pilot approached Sebbag and asked him to check on Liebb, the lawsuit says. The pilot then yelled at Liebb to leave the bathroom immediately, the lawsuit says.
Liebb said he told the pilot that he was finishing up and would be out momentarily.
The pilot responded by breaking the lock, forcing the bathroom door open and pulling Liebb out with his pants still around his ankles, exposing his genitalia to Sebbag, flight attendants, and nearby passengers, according to the lawsuit.
Liebb and Sebbag said the pilot then pushed them back to their seats while threatening to have them arrested and making remarks about their faith and how “Jews act.”
After the two-hour flight landed in Houston, the men said about a half-dozen Customs and Border Protection officers boarded and escorted them off the plane.
Liebb said when he asked why they were being detained, an officer tightened his handcuffs and responded: “This isn’t county or state. We are Homeland. You have no rights here.”
The men said United booked them on a flight to New York City the next day for free, but any savings from the complementary tickets were lost because they had to pay for an overnight hotel stay and food during their delay.
Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
