An unhinged New Jersey traveler ate too many weed edibles, then tried to have sex with a flight attendant and open the plane’s door mid-flight — forcing an emergency landing in Utah, according to feds who arrested him.
Eric Nicholas Gapco, 26, of Delanco, was on American Airlines flight 2101 from Seattle to Dallas on July 18 when he started acting “unruly,” the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah said Thursday.
Gapco peeled off his shirt and began puffing a vape pen, yelling and hitting on a crew member, propositioning her for sex, authorities and reports said.
The wild passenger — who later admitted to chowing down on 10 marijuana edibles before the outburst — allegedly also assaulted a flight attendant and tried to open the plane’s exterior doors “multiple times,” according to federal officials.
Chaotic video footage allegedly shows Gapco bare-chested and shouting “I am sane!” as crew members try to calm him near the plane’s bathroom, according to KSLTV.
When he refused to take his seat, flight attendants shackled his hands and feet with restraints — while the captain made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City, authorities said.
During the flight, Gapco allegedly also tried to hand another passenger a bag of unidentified pills, according to prosecutors.
He denied doing any illegal drugs but later told his arresting officer he ate “approximately 10 marijuana edibles” — without having any clue how strong they were, according to court documents.
Gapco was arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport — where he allegedly broke a glass door and spat on an officer during his arrest, according to prosecutors.
“He continued to be belligerent” and “combative with medical staff and the police,” prosecutors wrote in a motion for his detention.
The bizarre case is now being investigated by FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and Salt Lake City Police Department.
