A man who attacked two flight attendants and several passengers while he tried to open an exit door mid-flight yelled, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’, according to the FBI.
Joseph Daniel Hudek IV, the son of a Delta airlines employee, was flying first class on a ‘dependent pass’ from Seattle to Beijing on Thursday when his sudden rampage caused the plane to divert back to Washington about an hour after takeoff.
Hudek, who punched a flight attendant and an intervening passenger, had two wine bottles smashed over his head before he was eventually restrained, according to a probable cause document.
He now faces a felony charge of interfering with a flight crew, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
One flight attendant and a passenger were taken to a hospital after suffering severe facial injuries, authorities said.
Photos from inside the plane reveal blankets and food strewn across the cabin floor while a spilled beverage can be seen dripping down the exit door.
The Tampa, Florida, native appeared in US District Court on Friday, wearing a beige jail uniform and sporting a scrape or bruise below his right eye.
Hudek did not speak during the hearing. His attorney, Robert Flennaugh II, declined to comment.
Hudek’s mother Linda Hudek, is a customer service representative and reservation agent at Delta, according to her Facebook profile.
According to the airline’s employee benefits, dependent children fly for free, although some government or airport fees apply for international travel.