Guy in Trump hat delays Newark flight as passengers chant ‘lock him up!’

A plane bound for Newark from China was delayed for more than three hours because of a man wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap who refused to leave his seat.

Former Millburn resident Clark Gredoña chronicled the three-hour ordeal in Shanghai on his Facebook page after the man decided he was entitled to three seats assigned to other passengers when he couldn't upgrade to first class.

The man told the captain and crew they would have to drag him off the plane, according to Gredoña.  Passengers were told that the plane could not begin the trip to Newark until the man relented.

Gredoña said the unhappy passengers  jeered the man in Chinese and English and encouraged him to give while chanting "lock him up" as he was escorted off the plane.  The man, in turn, called one passenger "Hillary" and "lesbian."

Gredoña said the plane had to make an unscheduled stop in San Francisco to change crews before heading back to New Jersey.

"Props to the United 87 crew for handling it professionally," Gredoña wrote.

United said the passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, became "increasingly disruptive when asked to deplane the aircraft."  Police were called in to assist but the passenger left the plane "on his own accord," according to the airline.

"We’re grateful for the patience shown by our customers who endured the disruptive behavior of this passenger, as well as the exceptional poise and professionalism of our flight crew," United said in a statement.

The airline recently came under fire after a passenger was dragged off a plane after he refused to give up his seat. The incident was caught on video and led to United changing its policy on its flight crews getting to their next assignment and overbooking.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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