An Irishman was busted for refusing to wear a mask on a New York-bound Delta flight — and mooning flight attendants and fellow passengers, according to the feds.
Shane McInerney, 29, faces up to 20 years behind bars on charges of interfering with a flight crew’s duties and intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew during a Delta Air Lines flight from Dublin to John F Kennedy Airport on Jan. 7, authorities said Friday.
McInerney allegedly refused “dozens of requests” from the flight crew to mask up and pulled down his pants and underwear, mooning passengers and flight staff, according to the criminal complaint. He also raised his fists to the captain after placing his own hat on the pilot’s head, declaring, “Don’t touch me,” the court documents say.
McInerney, of Galway, Ireland was a menace for all eight hours of the transatlantic journey, feds said. He allegedly hurled an empty beverage can that struck a passenger in the head, stormed into the first class cabin to complain about the food he was given in economy, exposed himself to multiple passengers, kicked the seat of the person in front of him, and refused to sit down during the plane’s final descent to JFK.
The complaint said “at least one passenger” found the Irishman to be “scary” and that the flight crew considered diverting the plane to a nearby airport to kick McInerney off.
McInerney flew to New York en route to Florida to begin a job at a soccer academy in the state, the Guardian reported.
He was admitted to Jamaica Hospital for medical and psychological evaluation after the flight landed, according to prosecutors.
McInerney was released on $20,000 bail pending his trial and was required to seek mental health care at his arraignment on Jan. 14 in Brooklyn federal court, according to authorities and reports.