Posted on 09/13/2026 11:14:44 AM PDT by delta7
Celebrated author and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn is making headlines after revealing that he was the unnamed passenger who drew the ire of a man who allegedly became so out of control he needed to be duct-taped to an airplane seat.
Cahn shared his account of the disturbing incident aboard American Airlines Flight 618, proclaiming that the widely circulated images of a passenger being duct-taped — and media accounts of what unfolded — did not tell the full story.
He told CBN News he was returning home after a number of interviews promoting his new book, The Altar of Pergamon, when his assigned seat was unexpectedly changed shortly before the flight. Little did he know that his new placement on the plane would yield an experience he'd never forget.
Cahn ended up sitting beside a man who he said initially appeared friendly. In fact, the two talked for roughly two hours, with the passenger asking about his books and discussing his own family — but then the situation shifted after Cahn prayed about whether God wanted him to share his faith with the man.
"I said, 'Give me an opening to share salvation with him, and share love with him,'" he said.
According to Cahn, the conversation turned toward faith, and he shared his testimony of once being an atheist and eventually coming to believe in God. Then, he said, the man's behavior abruptly changed.
"At that moment, I've never seen anything like this," he said. "His face changes. His voice changes."
Cahn described the transformation as dramatic and spiritual, saying, "It was like someone getting taken over."
He said the passenger began cursing Jesus and God, making vulgar statements and disturbing other people aboard the aircraft. Cahn said the man later became friendly again before allegedly putting his hands around Cahn's neck and lightly striking him.
One of the most unusual moments involved Cahn's laptop. At one point, a black line appeared on his screen. He said the passenger then reached over and tapped the computer, forcing the black area to spread across the entire screen.
Cahn said the computer was particularly important because it contained his writings and other projects.
Then, the author felt God tell him to protect his computer because the devil would use the man to destroy it. Listening to this warning, he attempted to leave his seat with the laptop and alleged that this is when the passenger lunged for it.
"We are wrestling on the plane," Cahn said, noting that the computer became the focal point of the chaos. "I mean, we are literally wrestling."
Cahn said the pilot contacted the ground for an emergency landing as the confrontation continued. Eventually, two passengers, including a retired police officer, intervened. Flight attendants provided duct tape to restrain the man, and the plane landed in Baltimore, where authorities took the man into custody.
The irony of the entire incident is that Cahn's latest book The Altar of Pergamon — which came out just before this incident — deals with themes surrounding the devil and spiritual warfare. He believes some of what unfolded on the flight is rooted in that spiritual battle.
"The warfare is real, the enemy is real, and God is real," he said.
Despite what happened, Cahn said he has no desire to condemn the passenger. Instead, he said he prays for him, and he even delivered a message to him.
"God loves you," he said. "God's arms are open. He loves you, and He'll receive you and wash that all away and give you a new beginning."
Watch the full interview for more on this shocking story:
Of course it didn't; a housed divided against itself cannot stand.
Wow, quite a. Story.
And quite a man.
Good on him. Better than I. Wish I could get like that, more patient and more loving.
PERHAPS-—BUT BEING FORCED TO SIT & LISTEN TO ANY SUCH WHEN TRAPPED IN PLANE ISN’T PART OF WHAT I PAID FOR WITH MY TICKET.
Who was forcing? If the crazy guy wanted the proselytizing guy to shut up, all he had to do was say so.
Holy cow! We ARE living in the end times.
Watched the link. Typical Cahn.
It reminded me of Acts 19:13-16, only the two guys took him and taped him up and to the seat, so it didn’t get destructive. Jonathan Cahn is a false prophet, deceiving and being deceived, while looking and sounding like the real deal. Jesus warns (Matt. 7:21-23), and so do Peter, Paul, John and Jude in their epistles, of people like Cahn.
He must have plugged his book a half dozen times in that video. He embellishes and exaggerates a lot, as that video shows. For example, at about 4:00 he says “I didn’t think it was going to involve the downing of a plane!” He makes it sound like a crash or crash landing.
At about 13:30, he says he’s struggling to get his laptop, and “the pilot is radioing the ground for an emergency landing”. Really? Did the pilot come over to intercom announcing that right then? The video shows Cahn standing in the isle while the two men are taping the guy up before putting him in the seat and taping him to it. People standing around. The plane was not descending until everyone was seated.
Cahn is part of the NAR false prophet club (Hinn, Copeland, White, Deplantis, Etc.)
And Duct Tape Guy's response, although over-the-top, is how targets respond.
And Jonathan Cahn would not have targeted Duct Tape Guy if Duct Tape Guy was Muslim.
In before the ‘You clearly didn’t read the account’
How so?
What has he ever preached that resembles those scam artists?
FWIW, his constant plugs for his books is annoying. But I've heard some of those other guys as well, and his preaching is nothing like them. It's not health, wealth, and prosperity blather.
Amen . . . rat!!!
You were there ?
I also watched about 4 minutes of Cahn’s own site, with him in dramatic speech telling the story, taking over a minute to say he was the unidentified passenger that was attacked.
At about 1:30 he plugs his book, and goes on to say,”could the altar of Pergamon have actually brought down American Airlines 618?”
No, two men that knew what to do took care of the situation.
At 2:35 a Cahn line includes “the satanic realm that brought down that plane”.
Did it crash? No, the unruly passenger caused a diversion to a closer airport, in order to get him off. Unfortunately, unruly passengers are too common.
And around 3:30 Cahn plugs his website and ‘supertours’.
There are “prophecy scorekeepers” that do the hard work of watching and listening to these false prophets for hours and hours. They must have a LOT of patience. Then they report when those prophecies don’t come to pass. I’ve watched several videos exposing Cahn’s false prophesies, and those of others.
Some people will not shut up.
I was there, they were seated right in front of me.
Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn was acting like a dick and brought this on himself.
Personal policy of mine when on a flight: Don’t talk to the person next to you. You have no idea whom you’re dealing with.
We've all been there.
The guy that brought something on himself was the duct tape guy who made it on to np-fly lists over this, and Cahn got a lot of free publicity, I’d never heard of him. Hey, it’s a win-win!
There are 3 sides to every story, yours, theirs, and the truth, as the saying goes. Since you were there, how much of the conversation did you hear? I mean, even if Cahn was a dick, that’s a waaay over the top reaction.
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