Indian-Origin Man Arrested At Miami Airport After Allegedly Choking A Fellow Passenger During Violent Mid-Air Altercation

July 4, 2025: An Indian-origin man has been arrested at Miami Airport after a violent mid-air altercation aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami. The incident, which occurred on June 30, involved 21-year-old Ishaan Sharma of Newark and fellow passenger Keanu Evans.

A video of the confrontation, now viral on social media, shows the two men grappling and grabbing each other by the neck as stunned passengers tried to defuse the situation. According to police, the assault was allegedly unprovoked.

Evans, seated just ahead of Sharma, told 7News that Sharma had been acting erratically and uttering threatening phrases such as, “You puny, mortal man, if you challenge me, it will result in your death,” accompanied by what he described as a “dark laugh.”

Evans said he alerted flight attendants and was advised to press the assistance button if the behavior continued. “We were forehead to forehead, and then he just grabs me by the throat,” Evans recalled. “It was fight or flight in a confined space.”

Sharma was taken into custody upon landing and charged with battery. He now faces a $500 bond, according to jail records.

In a court appearance on Tuesday, Sharma’s lawyer claimed the incident began due to a misunderstanding. “My client is from a religion where he was meditating. Unfortunately, the passenger behind him did not like that,” the attorney said.

The bizarre mid-air scuffle has reignited conversations around mental health, passenger safety, and airline security. Frontier Airlines has not yet issued an official statement.

As the investigation continues, Sharma remains in custody pending further legal proceedings.