A former NFL player was arrested after exchanging punches with a United Airlines employee at a gate inside Newark Airport in New Jersey on Sunday, TMZ reported.
The viral video of the brawl showed Brendan Langley – a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft – throwing multiple punches at a United Airlines employee. It is unclear who took the first swing.
In the footage, the United Airlines employee successfully dodges several punches before he is knocked into a desk and conveyor belt. After regaining his balance, Langley lands his first punch. The airline employee then walks toward Langley and appears to slap the former pro-athlete in the face.
Langley turns to an onlooker and says, “You saw that sh-t?” before turning back to the United employee and knocking him to the ground.
The United employee – now with a bloody face – once again stands up and approaches Langley.
“You want some more?” Langley shouts. “He wants more!”
The pair briefly argue as a third person off-screen apparently tries to deescalate the situation.
“He works at the airport and he assaulted me,” Langley says.
According to TMZ, Langley was charged with simple assault for the altercation. The airline employee has not been arrested or charged.
Other videos showing brawls at airports and on airplanes have also gone viral over the past year as traveler tensions are heightened by COVID mandates and related delays.
In August, a fistfight broke out in the middle of a plane over a reclining seat on American Airlines flight 4698, operated by Republic Airways, according to video of the brawl.
After a flight from New Orleans to Austin arrived at Austin-Bergstrom airport around 4:20 p.m., two large men traded blows in the aisle as several other passengers shouted “stop it” in the background.
According to KXAN, both men were detained by Austin Police following the scuffle, but neither was arrested. A statement from American Airlines said “law enforcement were requested” after the plane landed in Austin “due to an altercation between passengers.” No additional information was provided.
In another incident, a wild brawl took place at Miami International Airport over the last seats left on a flight, and it was captured on video that went viral.
Documentary film director Billy Corben, known for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, shared footage of the fight on Twitter in which two different groups can be seen punching and kicking each other at gate D-14.
According to one witness, seven people were involved in the fight, Local 10 News reported. Officials at the airport said law enforcement immediately responded to the incident.
“The victim did not want to press any charges. However, one person was arrested for disorderly conduct,” Miami-Dade police told the Miami Herald in an email. “The victim was treated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for minor injuries and released on the scene.”
