A pilot suffers medical crisis mid-flight after leaving Newark — passengers had to pin him down

🚨4 passengers helped restrain a pilot after a medical emergency

🚨The Air Canada plane shook violently and swerved, passengers told ABC News

🚨The first officer safely landed the plane in Boston with 61 passengers aboard

NEWARK — The pilot of an Air Canada flight from Newark suffered a medical emergency Wednesday and passengers were needed to help subdue the pilot.

Air Canada flight AC7664 left Newark around 12:40 p.m. for Halifax, Nova Scotia. A passenger told ABC News that about 40 minutes into the flight the plane began to shake violently and swerve.

Four passengers helped remove the pilot from the cockpit and keep him down. Rodney McDonald told ABC News that the pilot appeared to be having a seizure.

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The first officer took over and landed the De Havilland Q400 with 61 passengers in Boston. The plane was met by fire trucks and first responders at Logan. Video of the plane shows someone removed from the plane on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.

The flight continued to Canada early Wednesday evening, according to FlightAware.com.

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