Overview

• Federal court documents allege Julius Jordan Priester grabbed a flight attendant by the collar, pinned them to the floor and attempted to drag them down the aisle about 30 minutes into American Airlines Flight 3359.
• The pilot declared an emergency and diverted the flight back to Bradley International Airport, where Priester was removed by Connecticut State Police and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
• Priester appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish and is being held pending a bond hearing scheduled for May 30.
• The FBI is leading the investigation into the incident with support from Connecticut State Police, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
• Prosecutors say Priester is on probation for a prior aggravated assault conviction and acted erratically and incoherently throughout the flight.