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Shane Mclnerney: Man 'mooned' passengers when asked to wear mask on Delta flight

McInerney 'pulled down his pants and underwear and exposed his buttocks' and also threw an empty beverage can that hit another passenger's head

An Irish soccer coach has been accused of wreaking havoc on Delta Air Lines flight by exposing his buttocks in first-class and for refusing to wear a mask, among other complaints filed against him. The soccer coach, Shane Mclnerney, 29, native of Galway, was flying to the US to take a job teaching soccer at an academy in Daytona, Florida.

Mclnerney was charged in a complaint on Wednesday, January, 19 for intentional assault and intimidation of  flight crew members on Delta Flight 45 from Dublin to New York on January 7, 2021. At one point, the crew reportedly even considered diverting the plane to remove him from the flight as he amped up his antics. 

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According to the complaint filed, Mclnerney refused to wear face-mask on flight despite multiple requests from the flight crew. But that was not all. “The defendant who had an economy class seat walked to the Delta One class section of the airplane; complained about his food to one of the flight attendants and – in the process of being escorted back to his seat – pulled down his pants and underwear and exposed his buttocks,” the complaint said.

The soccer coach, at another point during the flight, also threw an "empty beverage can" which hit the head of another passenger on the plane, according to the FBI. The nature of the beverage that the can had contained was not clear in the court filings. About two hours into the trans-Atlantic flight, one of the pilots came back into the cabin to speak with Mclnerney and settle him down. During the conversation, Mclnerney took off his own cap and placed it on the pilot's head, before removing it again, the complaint states. He also allegedly raised a fist to the pilot's face and said: "Don't touch me."

Mclnerney allegedly kicked the seat of the passenger in front of him, to the passenger's annoyance. He has also been accused of defying the flight attendants' orders to remain seated with his seat belt fastened as the plane made its descent at the JFK international airport, and instead chose to stand in the aisle. 

"At least one passenger found the defendant's conduct to be scary," an FBI agent noted in an affidavit. "Moreover, in light of the totality of the defendant's conduct during the flight, the flight crew members and flight attendants on the airplane repeatedly stopped their ordinary duties to address him." On January 14, Mclnerney made his initial appearance in Brooklyn Federal Court, where he was released on a $20,000 bond. If convicted, he will face up to 20 years in federal prison.