Shane McInerney, 29, was charged over his alleged conduct on a Delta flight
An Irish soccer coach has been accused of wreaking havoc on a Delta Air Lines flight from Dublin to New York by mooning first-class passengers and repeatedly refusing to wear a mask, among other alleged disruptions.
Shane McInerney, 29, was charged in a complaint unsealed on Wednesday with intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew on Delta Flight 45 on January 7.
According to the complaint, McInerney refused to wear a face mask despite ‘dozens’ of requests from the flight crew, and grew increasingly disruptive to the point where the crew considered diverting the plane to remove him.
McInerney is a native of Galway, and was flying to the US to take a job teaching soccer at an academy in Daytona, Florida, a law enforcement source told DailyMail.com.
Shane McInerney, 29, is charged with intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew on a flight from Dublin to New York. The Irish soccer coach is seen above on Sunday in Daytona Beach, free on a $20,000 bond
McInerney is a native of Galway, and was flying to the US to take a job teaching soccer at an academy in Daytona, Florida, a law enforcement source told DailyMail.com
Soccer coach Shane McInerney of Ireland is seen in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in a photo posted in March 2021. He is alleged to have mooned fellow passengers on a Delta flight
McInerney’s attorney, Benjamin Zev Yaster, declined to comment on the allegations when reached by DailyMail.com.
According to the complaint, McInerney, who had an economy seat, at one point during the eight hour flight stormed into the first-class section to complain about his food to a flight attendant.
As he was being escorted back to his seat, McInerney ‘pulled down his pants and underwear and exposed his buttocks’ the fight attendant and the passengers in first class, the complaint states.
At another point, McInerney 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 immediately clear from the court filings.
However, McInerney’s social media profiles prominently display his fondness for alcohol, and Guinness beer in particular.
McInerney’s social media profiles prominently display his fondness for alcohol, and Guinness beer in particular. Above, he is seen at Quigley’s Irish Pub in Chicago in April 2021
McInerney (right) is seen on a night of fun with friends in Palm Beach, Florida in January 2021
On the Delta flight, McInerney allegedly ‘pulled down his pants and underwear and exposed his buttocks’ the fight attendant and the passengers. Above he is seen in October in Omaha, in a social media post where he noted he spent an hour driving to find a ‘fresh pint of Guinness’
About two hours into the trans-Atlantic flight, the pilot took a break and came back into the cabin to speak with McInerney and settle him down.
During the conversation, McInerney twice 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.’
Among the allegations, McInerney is also accused of kicking the seat of the passenger in front of him, to the passenger’s annoyance.
On final approach to JFK Internation, McInerney is accused of defying the flight attendants’ orders to remain seated with his seat belt fastened, instead standing in the aisle.
The complaint outlines numerous disruptions during the eight-hour Delta flight (file photo)
According to his social media profiles, McInerney played professional soccer in Australia with Dandenong Thunder SC, and in Sweden with FC Linköping City
‘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.’
According to his social media profiles, McInerney played professional soccer in Australia with Dandenong Thunder SC, and in Sweden with FC Linköping City.
Last year, he was a kicker for Peru State College’s American football team, scoring nine out of nine field goals.
McInerney (center) was flying to the US to move to Florida and work as a youth soccer coach
‘At least one passenger found the defendant’s conduct to be scary,’ an FBI agent noted in an affidavit. McInerney is seen above in his playing days
Last year, McInerney was a kicker for Peru State College’s American football team, scoring nine out of nine field goals
In an interview last month with the Irish Daily Star, he shared his dream of becoming an NFL kicker.
An Instagram post on January 16 showed that McInerney arrived safely in Daytona Beach by January 16, when he was spotted relaxing beachside with what appeared to be a cocktail.
‘Great to be back in the sunshine state,’ he wrote. ‘Blessed to call this place home for the next few months.’
McInerney made his initial appearance in Brooklyn Federal Court on January 14, where he was released on a $20,000 bond.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
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