Mario Nikprelaj, Interfering with Flight Crew Members and Attendants, Iowa 2025

A 24-year-old Michigan man has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison for disrupting a flight and causing it to make an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Mario Nikprelaj, of Shelby Township, Michigan, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

The incident occurred on July 17, 2025, when Nikprelaj was flying from Omaha to Detroit. He began making disruptive and rude statements to passengers and flight crew before the plane even left the gate.

Nikprelaj’s behavior continued in the air, with him refusing to put his seatbelt on and repeatedly taking it off. He also poked a 80-year-old flight attendant in the chest and threatened to kill him.

Eventually, Nikprelaj appeared to have fallen asleep in his seat, but not before manipulating the emergency exit door near his seat, which prompted several passengers to press their emergency call buttons.

Officers from the Cedar Rapids Police Department were waiting for the plane to land and took Nikprelaj into custody after it landed. He was found to be in possession of 41 pills of purported Xanax in a prescription bottle that was not in his name.

Nikprelaj has a history of violent behavior, including a conviction for assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer. He was also found guilty of domestic violence, disorderly conduct, breaking and entering, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nikprelaj was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after his prison term.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Eastern Iowa Airport Public Safety Department.

Nikprelaj’s sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of disrupting flights and causing harm to others.

The case file number is 25-CR-61.

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