Man on flight from Chicago pees in aisle, prompting diversion, feds say

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — A man on a flight from Chicago earlier this week “exposed himself” and urinated in the airplane aisle, federal officials said.

Neil McCarthy, 25, was arrested after the American Airlines flight from Chicago to Manchester, New Hampshire was diverted to Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Wednesday. The Oregon man was charged with indecent exposure the same day, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York .

A criminal complaint obtained by the Associated Press indicates that McCarthy told law enforcement he drank several whiskey drinks before boarding his initial flight in Portland, Oregon. He also claimed he drank more during a layover in Chicago, and suffered from a medical urination problem, the outlet reported, citing the complaint.

McCarthy now faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Passengers, meanwhile, continued on their journey to Manchester after the incident, a spokesperson for American Airlines said in a statement shared with Nexstar, WGN-TV’s parent company. The carrier’s spokesperson did not say whether the disruptive passenger had been banned from the airline entirely.

“We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding,” the statement said.

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