As if having gastrointestinal distress during a flight doesn’t sound like enough of a nightmare, imagine being accosted by the pilot and being removed from the bathroom, too.
That is what United Airlines passenger Yisroel Liebb alleges happened to him during a flight between Mexico and Houston. According to The Associated Press, Liebb is suing United and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, claiming that the flight’s pilot broke the bathroom lock while he was still using the facilities.
Leading up to the alleged incident, Liebb says he had been in the bathroom for about 20 minutes when a flight attendant awakened his travel companion so that he could check on him. Liebb says he was still finishing up, and about 10 minutes later the pilot reportedly got involved and allegedly started yelling at him to get out.
The pilot then allegedly broke in and pulled Liebb out while his pants were still down, exposing him to the whole plane. Liebb also alleges that the pilot made insulting remarks about him and his companion being Orthodox Jewish.
Upon arriving in Houston, Liebb says he and his companion were arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and missed their connecting flight. They were eventually freed and booked on a flight the next day for free.
In a statement to the AP, Customs and Border Protection says, “CBP Officers responded to reports of a disturbance on a flight at the request of the airline. Due to the ongoing litigation, we are unable to provide any further comment.”
United Airlines declined to comment.