'Dark Laugh, Saying Things Like...': Indian-Origin Man Chokes Fellow Traveller Mid-Flight | Video

Last Updated:July 04, 2025, 11:06 IST

A now-viral video shows Sharma standing and grabbing Evans by the throat, but he was quickly restrained as other passengers looked on.

A witness filmed the moment Sharma lunged at a passenger mid-flight but the assault quickly turned on him. (IMAGE: X)

An Indian-origin man from New Jersey has been charged with battery after a disturbing mid-flight incident aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami, where he allegedly assaulted a fellow passenger in what witnesses described as a bizarre and unprovoked outburst.

The accused, 21-year-old Ishaan Sharma, reportedly began behaving erratically as the flight neared Miami-Dade Airport. Keanu Evans, the passenger seated behind Sharma, told WSVN that Sharma started muttering strange threats and let out a “dark laugh" moments before lunging at him. “He was doing some, like, dark laugh like, ‘ha ha ha ha ha.’ And he was saying things like, ‘you punt, mortal man, if you challenge me, it will result in your death,’" Evans recalled.

A now-viral video shows Sharma standing and grabbing Evans by the throat, but he was quickly restrained as other passengers looked on. Evans suffered minor scratches, while Sharma was left with a black eye and visible facial injuries.

Law enforcement later charged Sharma with battery. His legal team claimed he had been meditating and suggested the incident may have been sparked by seating discomfort.

Defence attorney Renee Gordon told the Daily Mail that her client belongs to a faith that practices meditation, suggesting the altercation may have been triggered by discomfort from the passenger seated behind him. The incident is still under investigation.

News world 'Dark Laugh, Saying Things Like...': Indian-Origin Man Chokes Fellow Traveller Mid-Flight | Video