A cross-country flight took an unexpected turn when a passenger’s frustration over being cut off from alcohol turned into a scene that needed law enforcement to settle down. The flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale had reportedly been dealing with an unruly passenger for roughly 45 minutes before things came to a head. What makes this story stand out is who happened to be sitting nearby when tempers boiled over.
Brian O’Hara, who served as Minneapolis police chief from 2022 to 2026, was on that United Airlines flight and found himself thrust back into a familiar role, minus the badge. According to WPLG Local 10, the passenger, identified as Daniel Borman, began yelling at flight attendants and got up as if to confront them directly. That is usually the moment things go from bad to much worse at 30,000 feet.
O’Hara says he stood on his seat and helped restrain the man’s arm while another passenger assisted from behind. As it turns out, there was no shortage of law enforcement on board that day, including a Bergen County Sheriff’s officer who had flex cuffs handy, which is not something you expect to hear about on a routine domestic flight. Borman was seatbelted into a chair and later charged with disorderly intoxication once the plane landed.
It is one of those stories that reminds you air travel can turn into a group project real fast, and sometimes the group happens to include a former police chief. United Airlines has since thanked the crew and passengers who stepped up to help keep everyone safe.
How the Situation Unfolded
O’Hara described a passenger who was already agitated after being cut off from alcohol service, something flight crews are trained to do when a situation looks like it is escalating. Instead of settling down, the man reportedly began yelling and threatening the flight attendants, prompting nearby passengers, including O’Hara, to step in before the situation could get more dangerous.
O’Hara later admitted his wife told him he was shouting commands as though he were still on duty, though he said he has no memory of doing so. Old instincts apparently do not clock out easily, even years after retirement.
Right Place, Right Time
There is something almost comforting about knowing a retired police chief happened to be a few rows back when things went sideways. Flight attendants already have a demanding job without having to physically restrain an intoxicated passenger, and O’Hara’s account makes clear how quickly a bad mood over drinks can spiral into a real safety issue for everyone on board.
It also serves as a decent reminder that flight crews cut people off for good reason, and picking a fight over it rarely ends well. This time, it just so happened the guy picked the wrong flight to test that theory.