A routine United Airlines flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale turned chaotic Thursday when an unruly passenger erupted near the end of the trip.

Retired Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara quickly found himself back in crisis mode at 35,000 feet, as reported by The New York Post.

O’Hara was traveling with his wife aboard United Flight 1364 when the disturbance unfolded.

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He said flight attendants spent nearly 45 minutes trying to calm the increasingly belligerent passenger before outside help became necessary.

The man repeatedly berated crew members, attempted to leave his seat and behaved unpredictably as attendants worked to maintain order.

The crew showed remarkable restraint while the passenger apparently showed very little.

“About like for the last 45 minutes of the flight … all the flight attendants came over, and they were incredible,” O’Hara told Fox News Digital.

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“Incredibly professional, just trying to talk to this guy to de-escalate things.”

O’Hara later learned from the Broward Sheriff’s Office that the confrontation escalated after attendants refused to serve the man additional alcohol.

The passenger allegedly responded by shouting profanities and making threatening remarks.

“It was infuriating to hear a man speak to these women who were just incredibly professional and trying to keep everybody safe that way for so long,” O’Hara said.

“And, finally, he just kind of got up and lunged towards them.”

Two passengers seated near the rear of the aircraft grabbed the man from behind as O’Hara rushed forward. The three men then worked together to bring the passenger under control before the situation could become even more dangerous.

They restrained him with plastic flex cuffs and secured him in his seat. That allowed the flight attendants to take their own seats so the aircraft could land safely in Fort Lauderdale.

O’Hara later discovered that the other two men were off-duty Bergen County Sheriff’s deputies from New Jersey. Apparently, the disruptive passenger picked a particularly bad flight for his airborne tantrum.

United Airlines confirmed that local authorities were waiting when the plane landed. The company also thanked those who stepped forward to protect the passengers and crew.

“Local law enforcement met United Flight 1364 upon its arrival in Fort Lauderdale to address an unruly passenger,” the airline said.

“We thank our crew and customers for assisting with the situation and helping ensure the safety of everyone onboard.”

The Boeing 737- 900 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, including two pilots and four flight attendants. Everyone aboard reached the ground safely following the intervention.

Cellphone video of the confrontation quickly circulated across social media, but O’Hara said the footage failed to show the crew’s long effort to resolve the matter peacefully.

As usual, the viral clip captured the fireworks but not the patience preceding them.

“No one should take the kind of verbal abuse that they did,” he said. “They were absolute professionals trying to keep everybody safe.”

O’Hara spent 25 years in law enforcement and previously led public safety operations in Newark before serving as Minneapolis police chief.

He said an outburst aboard an aircraft can become deadly because passengers and crew have little room to move or escape.

His wife, a lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, was seated nearby throughout the ordeal. O’Hara said he knew she would be ready to assist if the confrontation worsened.

“The only thing I was thinking about was if this goes bad, I know at least she has my back,” O’Hara said with a laugh. He added that he had seen her “handle herself on the street” and trusted her ability to respond.

O’Hara later connected the episode to the approaching 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“I would hope everybody in this country now knows that if things are escalating to the point where there’s going to be some kind of violence, I think every citizen that is able to has a duty to try and help to stop it.”

He also urged airlines to keep restraints readily available and ensure that designated personnel know how to use them safely.

“I think it would be good to make sure that they have restraints that are available, that at least some people are trained in some way to use them safely to get somebody restrained if they needed to,” O’Hara said.

Authorities had not publicly identified the passenger or announced criminal charges as of Thursday afternoon. The investigation remained in the hands of local law enforcement following the safe landing.

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