‘Constipated’ flyer claims enraged United Airlines pilot had him arrested for hogging the bathroom
Exclusive: An Orthodox Jewish traveler says he was yanked off the toilet with his trousers down and subjected to an antisemitic tirade while nearby passengers gawked
A “constipated” New Jersey man flying home from Mexico claims the cabin crew became upset that he was monopolising the plane’s lavatory, prompting an enraged pilot to break down the bathroom door, yank the pantsless traveler off the toilet, and dress him down in a shocking antisemitic tirade while nearby passengers gawked.
Upon landing, Yisroel Liebb, an Orthodox Jew clad in religious garb, was pulled off the United Airlines 737-800 and arrested by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who allegedly told him, “You have no rights here,” according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
Liebb, 20, contends he was subjected to physical injuries, extreme emotional distress, and anxiety, and says in his complaint that he feels “sexually violated and embarrassed after having been publicly exposed in the nude.”
In an email on Thursday, a United spokesperson said, “We don’t have anything to share.” CBP acknowledged The Independent’s request for comment but did not follow up by the time of publication.
The flight in question took off from the Riviera Maya resort town of Tulum at 430pm on 28 January and was headed for Houston, Texas, where Liebb was scheduled to catch a connecting flight to New York, according to his complaint. About half an hour into the journey, it says Liebb got up from his seat and headed to the toilet in the rear of the aircraft.
Roughly 20 minutes later, when he hadn’t returned, a flight attendant woke up Liebb’s neighbor, identified in the complaint as Jacob Sebbag, and asked him to make sure Liebb was alright. When Sebbag, 21, knocked on the restroom door, Liebb replied that everything was fine, but that he was “experiencing constipation,” and said he would be out shortly.
“Sebbag relayed this to the stewardess and returned to his seat,” the complaint states.
Around 10 minutes after that, the pilot approached Sebbag and requested that he accompany him to the restroom “to once again try and get Liebb out,” the complaint goes on. Once there, the pilot “began yelling loudly at Liebb, demanding he leave the bathroom immediately,” then turned to Sebbag and “began loudly demanding he force Liebb out of the bathroom,” according to the complaint.
It says Liebb responded immediately, telling the pilot through the door that “he was okay, that he was finishing up, and that he would be out momentarily.”
At this point, according to the complaint, “The pilot became visibly enraged, broke the lock on the door and forced the door to the bathroom open, pulling Liebb out of the bathroom with his pants still around his ankles, exposing his genitalia to Sebbag, several flight attendants, and the nearby passengers on the plane.”
“Liebb quickly pulled his pants back to his waist after being allowed to set his feet,” the complaint states, which says he injured his head and legs when they smacked into the restroom’s door frame.
“With Sebbag leading Liebb, the pilot proceeded to repeatedly push the [two] back to their seats while making threats of getting [them] arrested and making scathing remarks about their Judaism, and how ‘Jews act’”, according to the complaint.
Upon arrival in Houston, five to seven CBP officers boarded the plane and instructed all passengers to remain seated, the complaint says. They then approached Liebb and Sebbag, handcuffed them, and took them to a detention facility inside the terminal, the complaint alleges.
“While being escorted from the plane, Liebb stated that the [two of them] have a legal right to know why they are being detained,” according to the complaint. “The CBP agents… responded that ‘this isn’t county or state, we are Homeland [Security], you have no rights here.’”
Apparently annoyed with Liebb’s questions, one of the CBP officers tightened his cuffs “to the point that he verbally spoke out against the pain,” the complaint states. It says Liebb “pleaded” with the officer, pointing out that he was “cooperating fully” and insisting he was “not a threat”.
But, the complaint alleges, Liebb and Sebbag were instead thrown into separate cells and handcuffed to tables, while they, and their luggage, were “subjected to intrusive, unconsented, unwarranted and unreasonable searches.”
Liebb and Sebbag were released without charges, but missed their connecting flight home, which took off for New York while they were still detained, the complaint states. They were rebooked, for free, on a flight leaving the next day, according to the complaint. However, it says, the pair “had to incur additional charges for hotel and food during the delay, essentially negating the price of the complimentary flight.”
Liebb and Sebbag both claim the too-tight handcuffs caused “severe wrist pain”, which they say “persisted for days afterward”.
The entire situation, the complaint alleges, was “further worsened by [the United pilot’s] antisemitic rhetoric,” and says he “only escalated the encounter with… Liebb because he is Jewish”.
Liebb and Sebbag are demanding damages in an amount to be determined at trial, plus attorneys’ fees.