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A Sun Country Airlines flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency diversion to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after a passenger created panic onboard, claiming that gay people were “radiating” and “cooking” him. The bizarre mid-air incident occurred on Friday aboard Flight SY345, which had departed from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to reports, the passenger’s erratic behavior began mid-flight when he started ranting about being “gang chased” by gay people and accused them of giving him cancer. Eyewitnesses said that the man was clearly distraught and incoherent, wearing as many as 15 face masks while shouting conspiracy-laden remarks.

What Really Happened?

Seth Evans, a fellow passenger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the man was “yelling nonsensically” and at one point screamed, “The plane is going down!” and “Trump is here!” Despite his alarming statements, Evans said the man was “oddly calm” at intervals, even seen playing a mobile video game while continuing his tirade.

Cabin crew immediately alerted the pilot, who made the decision to divert the flight to Chicago for the safety of passengers and crew. Once the aircraft landed safely, Chicago police boarded the plane and handcuffed the passenger. He was subsequently taken into custody for questioning. Officials from the US Marshals Service also spoke with passengers and flight attendants to document the sequence of events.

Sun Country Airlines confirmed the diversion in an official statement, saying the situation was handled swiftly and without any physical harm to passengers or crew. “The flight landed without incident and the passenger in question was turned over to law enforcement and removed from the aircraft,” the airline said. “We appreciate our passengers’ patience during the interruption to their travels.”

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Authorities have not yet identified the man or announced whether charges will be brought against him. Initial reports indicate that the cause of the incident may have been a mental health episode, but officials have not confirmed this. The unscheduled diversion took passengers several hours off course, but the airline coordinated alternative transportation to Newark later in the evening.

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There have been more incidents with out-of-control passengers on US airlines in recent years that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has moved to toughen penalties for disorderly behavior on commercial flights.