Flight Diverted After Passenger Exposes Himself and Urinates in Aisle

A flight to Manchester, New Hampshire, was diverted Wednesday after a man allegedly exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the airplane, officials said. The 25-year-old Oregon man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure after the flight landed at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. He was released after making an initial appearance in federal court in Buffalo, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

The American Eagle flight departed from Buffalo shortly after the incident, according to an emailed statement from American Airlines. 'We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,' read the statement. The man told officers he was flying from Portland, Oregon, to Manchester and had several whiskey and colas before boarding the flight, and then more of them during a layover in Chicago and after boarding there. He said he got up to use the restroom and was coming back to his seat, but he has a medical urination problem, according to the criminal complaint. An email seeking comment was sent to his federal public defender.

A boozed up passenger forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Buffalo after he was caught exposing himself and urinating in the aisle of the airplane, federal prosecutors said. Oregon native Neil McCarthy, 25, admitted to cops that he was 'flicking the bean' -- a euphemism for masturbating -- aboard the flight to New Hampshire Wednesday, and blamed it on a medical urination problem, court papers allege. McCarthy told police that he was drinking heavily throughout his journey -- and that he had several 'Jack and cokes' before boarding his initial flight in Portland, according to the criminal complaint filed in Buffalo federal court. His flight eventually had a layover in Chicago -- where he allegedly told police that he continued to guzzle down several more whiskey and colas before boarding the next flight to Manchester, New Hampshire. An American Airlines flight attendant saw McCarthy exposing himself and urinating on the flight -- and a passenger snapped a photo of him in the act, federal prosecutors claimed.

The plane was diverted to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, where McCarthy was arrested at Gate 2. He was charged with indecent exposure, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison. McCarthy was released after a hearing Wednesday before US Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy in Buffalo federal court. The flight was able to depart from Buffalo shortly after McCarthy was placed into custody and escorted off the plane, American Airlines said in a statement.

'We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,' the airline wrote. A passenger was arrested Wednesday after an American Airlines flight made an unscheduled landing Wednesday at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced. Neil McCarthy, 25, of Oregon, was escorted off the plane by Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police at Gate 2 and charged by criminal complaint with indecent exposure.

He was released on his own recognizance following an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah H. McCarthy. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. According to the complaint, McCarthy was arrested after a flight attendant identified a man who had exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the plane, which was en route to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, N.H.