Jonathan Cahn has identified himself as the passenger attacked beside Arthur Layne Lundeen on a flight forced into an emergency landing.
Cahn, 65, a Messianic rabbi and best-selling author from Wayne, New Jersey, revealed in a YouTube video posted Monday that he was the previously unnamed man whose religious discussion allegedly triggered Lundeen’s mid-air meltdown on September 3. The American Airlines flight, bound for Newark, diverted to Baltimore after Lundeen, an Arizona realtor, allegedly hurled racist and homophobic slurs and attacked fellow travelers.
The two men had been chatting amiably before their conversation shifted to religion, Cahn recounted. He says he brought up “the reality of the real power of god on Earth and in our lives,” which sent Lundeen into a rage.
“I was the unidentified passenger and I was actually attacked, 30,000 feet in the sky. I was attacked on that plane,” Cahn said in his video.
According to Cahn, Lundeen began cursing and “blaspheming Jesus and God before shouting, ‘It’s all bulls**t. Jesus is Bulls**t.'”
Cahn described a startling personality shift in his seatmate. “I have never seen someone change in a split second from light to dark as I saw then, as if something had taken him over,” he said. “He went from the friendliest guy in the world to this dark person.”
As Lundeen’s tirade intensified, Cahn claims the confrontation turned physical. Lundeen allegedly struck Cahn and attempted to seize his laptop while crew members scrambled to arrange an emergency landing.
“The plane is in shock, the pilot is radioing the ground, for an emergency landing. We’re fighting over my computer,” Cahn said. The laptop screen was damaged during the struggle.
Other passengers eventually intervened, restraining Lundeen with duct tape and zip ties. One of them reportedly told Cahn afterward, “You were being tested. God was testing you.”
Cahn leads the Beth Israel Worship Centre in Wayne and has cultivated a substantial following through books merging theology with prophecy. His 2011 debut, The Harbinger, drew parallels between the 9/11 attacks and the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel. His 2015 follow-up, The Mystery of the Shemitah, predicted an imminent global catastrophe. He indicated that the confrontation was “triggered” by his latest novel, The Altar of Pergamon, though he did not specify exactly what about the book’s cover or content set Lundeen off.
The incident has already cost Lundeen his position at Long Realty, which confirmed he is no longer affiliated with the company and removed his bio from their website.
Lundeen now faces state charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. The FBI continues interviewing witnesses and will consult the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland regarding potential federal charges.
The emergency landing occurred after Lundeen’s alleged outburst made continuation of the flight impossible, with the pilot radioing for immediate ground assistance while passengers subdued him.