Summary
- A Delta Air Lines flight from Boston to Dublin was disrupted by an unruly ex-NFL player who urinated on a passenger.
- Passengers were accommodated on a later flight after being stuck in Boston for over 12 hours.
- The suspect was arrested and faces charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing flight crew.
A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Dublin, Ireland, from Boston was forced to return on Sunday after an unruly passenger reportedly urinated on another passenger. Upon landing, police arrested the suspect, who is a former professional football player.
The ordeal resulted in the flight lasting just over two hours instead of the expected six hours over the Atlantic. It was subsequently canceled, but Delta accommodated the passengers on another flight later Sunday evening.
Flight path
According to Boston local ABC affiliate WCVB, the incident occurred on DL154. The flight, operated by a Boeing 767-300ER, was scheduled to depart from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on Saturday evening around 20:40, but it was significantly delayed for unknown reasons. It pushed back from gate E4 three hours and 37 minutes late at 00:12 on Sunday, according to FlightAware.
Photo: Flightradar24
By 00:28, the aircraft was airborne from runway 15R. It headed southeast before turning northeast to assume its flight path. About 20 minutes after takeoff, the plane had reached an initial cruising altitude of 35,000 feet and was traveling at a speed of around 530 miles per hour (mph). It maintained its altitude and continued northeast for about 35 minutes until it changed its course.
Returning to BOS
At that time, the aircraft descended to 34,000 feet, turned around, and was headed back toward New England. It landed back at BOS on runway 33L at 02:33. According to WCVB, Delta requested assistance from the Massachusetts State Police when it arrived. At the gate, police troopers were accompanied by Customs and Border Patrol personnel and boarded the aircraft. They identified the suspect as 40-year-old Gosder Cherilus, who is said to have urinated on another passenger shortly after takeoff.
Photo: hodim | Shutterstock
He was reportedly irate and uncooperative when law enforcement asked him to leave the plane. Police troopers subsequently escorted Cherilus from the aircraft and placed him into custody. Delta confirmed the incident in a statement to Simple Flying on Monday.
“Delta flight 154 from Boston to Dublin on August 17 returned to Boston Logan due to an unruly customer and was met by law enforcement. Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
According to flight data, the airline arranged another 767-300ER to accommodate the other passengers. However, it was over 12 hours later. DL9935 departed from BOS at 19:31 on Sunday and landed at Dublin Airport (DUB) at 06:15 on Monday, about 23 hours after DL154’s original scheduled arrival time.
Former NFL player
According to WCVB, Cherilus is a former Boston College football player. In 2008, he was drafted in the first round of the National Football League (NFL). Throughout his career, he played for the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He retired in 2017. Cherilus was charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the flight crew. He was expected to be arraigned at the East Boston District Court on Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notably has no tolerance for any unruly passenger. The agency pursues legal action against those who assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with airline crew members. Civil penalties can be up to $37,000 per violation.
