Unruly passenger bites man’s ear, gets subdued with Benadryl on flight, SC cops say
A United Airlines flight was forced to land in South Carolina after a man bit a passenger’s ear and punched him in the face, officials said.
John Yurkovich Jr., 45, was arrested after a doctor on the plane tried to sedate him with a shot of Benadryl on Wednesday, according to the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department.
Officials said the chaotic scene broke out on flight 728, which was scheduled to travel from Newark, New Jersey, to Miami. In a statement to McClatchy News, United Airlines confirmed the plane was diverted “due to a disruptive passenger.”
During the flight, Yurkovich started to become “agitated” and “restless” after a trip to the restroom, airport police said in an incident report.
“The suspect got up from his seat again to retrieve what appeared to be pills from his carry-on bag in one of the overhead bins,” officials said. “The suspect then sat back down in his seat and began to scream and thrash around.”
Yurkovich is accused of taking off his face mask and yelling in the face of the person seated next to him.
When that passenger raised his arm to protect himself, police said, Yurkovich punched him several times, breaking his glasses. The same passenger “was bleeding excessively from his ear,” which required seven stitches, according to an FBI criminal complaint.
Yurkovich’s attorney, Rose Mary Parham, provided a statement to McClatchy News on Friday.
“This entire incident is very uncharacteristic of John,” Parham said. “He is a loving husband and father and successful businessman.”
Others on the flight told police they stepped in to restrain Yurkovich, including two people who said they were also hit. One of the passengers had a broken nose, according to officials.
During the incident, a doctor helped subdue Yurkovich with “Benadryl via injection in to the buttock,” airport police records show. Yurkovich was eventually bound with zip ties, according to the FBI.
After the flight was diverted to Charleston, police said they responded to a “report of someone’s ear being bit off.”
Officials said Yurkovich had 1.5 grams of suspected meth in his pocket. He was arrested on a state charge of possession with intent to distribute the drug, according to police.
He also accused of assault and committing a criminal act on an aircraft, federal records show.
Parham said Yurkovich was released on $50,000 bond “because of his lack of criminal history.”
