United declares onboard emergency after crazed passenger attempted to enter the cockpit at Newark Airport

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:29, 3 May 2026 | Updated: 05:32, 3 May 2026 United Airlines declared an emergency on board a plane on Saturday night after a crazed passenger attacked a flight attendant and tried to storm the cockpit.  Authorities said a 48-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested just after 6pm after flying into a frenzy on United flight 1837 at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey.  In audio circulating after the incident, air traffic control was heard being warned by airport staff that the United pilot was urgently requesting emergency vehicles meet them on the runway.  'The pilot wants to declare an emergency, it seems someone just attacked one of our flight attendants,' the airport staffer said.  The air traffic controller appeared to not immediately realize the situation, calmly responding they would 'move them in just a sec' before the staffer interjected: 'Can we get emergency vehicles out here.'  'A gentleman just attacked one of the flight attendants and tried to open the forward main cabin door,' the staffer added.  'Oh my God,' air traffic control responded.  The worker said the attacker had 'tried to gain access to the flight deck', before the pilot then cut in on the radio to demand police race to the scene.  United Airlines declared an emergency on board a plane on Saturday night after a crazed passenger attacked a flight attendant and tried to storm the cockpit at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey (stock image) In audio circulating after the incident, air traffic control responded 'oh my god' in shock when warned that a passenger tried to break into the cockpit  The pilot said: 'We're asking for a gate ASAP, and we need to be met by law enforcement.' 'We had someone try to pop our door open,' the pilot said.  The flight was traveling from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to Newark, and it landed at approximately 5:21pm.  Port Authority Police said the 48-year-old suspect was taken to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.  Officials said one person on the plane refused medical attention at the scene, and no other injuries were reported.  United Airlines said in a statement: 'Local law enforcement met United flight 1837 upon its scheduled arrival at Newark International Airport to address an unruly passenger.  'We're grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of fellow crew members and our customers.' The incident comes just hours after Spirit Airlines ceased all its operations, upending the US aviation industry and leaving passengers stranded across the nation.  The incident at Newark on Saturday comes just hours after Spirit Airlines ceased all its operations, upending the US aviation industry and leaving passengers stranded across the nation  Hours after Spirit ceased operation on Saturday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the airline's downfall on the Biden administration's decision to block a merger with JetBlue in 2024.  'Yet another mess the traveling public has to inherit thanks to the radical policies of Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg,' Duffy said.  'In blocking the Jetblue/Spirit merger in 2024, they turned their backs on the American consumer and our great aviation workforce,' he continued. 'Regardless of how we got here, the Trump Administration is committed to taking care of you and your family when you fly.  'In a matter of hours, we’ve activated our airline partners to ensure passengers are not stranded, communities maintain route access, fares do not skyrocket, and Spirit’s workforce is connected to new job opportunities.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.