Evans said that Sharma "kept threatening me with death”
A 21-year-old man was arrested in Miami after allegedly assaulting a fellow passenger during a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia.
Ishaan Sharma, from Newark, New Jersey, reportedly attacked passenger Keanu Evans without provocation shortly after takeoff.
The incident, caught on video, shows chaos erupting onboard as Sharma and Evans engaged in a physical altercation mid-air.
Evans said Sharma began acting oddly before the violence:
“He was doing some, like, dark laugh like, ‘ha ha ha ha ha’.”
He added that Sharma made threatening statements, including:
“You puny mortal man, if you challenge me, it will result in your death.”
Alarmed by the behaviour, Evans alerted flight attendants.
Evans said that Sharma “kept threatening me with death”, noting he pressed the call button for assistance.
The video circulating online captures both men on their feet, fighting atop their seats.
However, Evans claimed a crucial moment was not filmed:
“What I hate is that the video doesn’t capture what started the whole thing, you know? It only captures me defending myself.”
Evans said Sharma leaned in until their foreheads touched and then grabbed him by the throat.
“He’s looking at me very angrily and we’re looking eye to eye, forehead to forehead, and then he just grabs me by the throat and just starts choking me.
“At that moment, it was, you know, fight or flight responses kick in.
“I’m in a tight, confined space on an aircraft, and all I can do is just defend myself.”
Another video shows Sharma lunging at Evans as other passengers shout and attempt to break up the fight.
A flight attendant is seen trying to separate them, repeatedly saying: “Sir, you have to sit down.”
New: Ishaan Sharma, 21, was arrested for allegedly committing an unprovoked assault on a fellow passenger aboard a Frontier flight to Miami.
Sharma faces charges of battery and a $500 bond, per jail records.
The victim reported to police that the attack was unprovoked,… pic.twitter.com/9xwPmKNHaF
— The Facts Dude (@The_Facts_Dude) July 3, 2025
Both men were injured in the scuffle.
Evans received minor scratches while Sharma sustained a black eye and a cut that required stitches.
Evans said he spoke publicly to explain what triggered the brawl.
“I came forward to clarify what led to the viral mid-air brawl.”
Sharma’s attorney offered a different account, claiming a cultural misunderstanding:
“My client is from a religion where he was meditating. Unfortunately, the passenger behind him did not like that.”
Upon landing, Sharma was arrested and charged with battery. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies took him into custody at the airport.
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