NJ Man Had Meth, Attacked Two People On Plane: Feds

NEW JERSEY – Federal officials say a New Jersey man had meth when he attacked two people on an airplane.

John Yurkovich, 45, was a passenger on a plane that departed Newark Liberty International Airport at 8:14 a.m. Wednesday bound for Miami when the incident occurred, according to the FBI and public records released this weekend.

NJ Advance Media said Yurkovich is a resident of Middlesex County, but The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. said he's a resident of Millstone in Monmouth County.

Approximately 50 minutes into the flight, Yurkovich got out of his seat and went to the rear of the airplane. When Yurkovich returned to his seat, he was acting erratic and appeared to be off-balanced, according to a federal affidavit.

When he was seated, Yurkovich yelled out loud, capturing the attention of several other passengers in the surrounding area. A flight attendant responded, asking Yurkovich if he needed anything. Yurkovich then yelled at the flight attendant to get him water, according to the affidavit.

Yurkovich then stood up and opened and closed the overhead compartment multiple times. Yurkovich opened his bag, which was in the compartment above, took out a pillbox, and appeared to swallow a pill, according to the affidavit.

When Yurkovich placed the pillbox back into his bag, he backed into another passenger who attempted to brace himself and prevent Yurkovich from falling onto him, according to the affidavit.

Yurkovich turned around and began shouting at the passenger. Yurkovich was shouting in the passenger’s face: “Don’t f***g talk to me” and “Don’t touch me,” among other things, according to the affidavit.

When Yurkovich was yelling at the passenger, he pulled his face mask off and leaned forward, putting his face within inches of the passenger and allegedly spitting on him, according to the affidavit.

Yurkovich then proceeded to punch the passenger in the face several times. The first punch from Yurkovich landed on the left ear and left side of the passenger's face, breaking his glasses. He also punched another passenger in the nose.

Several other passengers intervened and restrained Yurkovich. Yurkovich was placed in zip-ties around his wrist that were provided by the flight attendant, according to the affidavit.

The pilot declared a "level III" emergency and diverted the flight from its route to land at the nearest identified airport, which was Charleston.

Yurkovich was restrained until the flight arrived in Charleston, according to the affidavit. The flight landed at the Charleston International Airport, according to a federal affidavit.

Following the incident, the passenger was bleeding excessively from his ear where he was struck by Yurkovich’s punches. A doctor on board the flight treated him by applying a bandage to treat the bleeding. The passenger was later treated at a hospital in Miami.

When United Flight 728 landed at Charleston and arrived at the gate, police boarded the
plane and took Yurkovich into custody.

Yurkovich was searched and approximately 2 grams of methamphetamine were found. Yurkovich was charged with possession of methamphetamines and assault, according to federal officials.