A woman has been arrested after allegedly dancing while drunk on a flight from Sydney to Queenstown, Australia.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a Facebook post that a 50-year-old New Zealand woman was arrested for showing intoxicated behavior on the flight in July, which included dancing in the aisle.
“Maybe no one puts you in a corner, but we will take you off a plane,” authorities wrote on Facebook, referencing the famous scene from the Patrick Swayze movie Dirty Dancing.
“A New Zealand woman, 50, will appear in court after being removed from a flight for alleged intoxicated behavior, including dancing in the aisle while the plane was taxiing for takeoff and ignoring cabin crew instructions,” the post added.
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The woman, identified as Sheree Young, according to The Guardian and news.com.au, allegedly also swore at cabin crew, AFP said in a press release.
The incident reportedly happened around 4 p.m. on July 21, according to The Guardian. The pilot had to stop takeoff and call the AFP, who escorted Young off the plane.
“When she allegedly became argumentative and non-compliant, they removed her so the flight could depart,” the AFP wrote on Facebook.
The flight left after Young was removed. She returned to New Zealand the following day, according to the AFP.
“Anyone misbehaving under the influence of alcohol will be removed from their flight,” AFP Detective Acting Inspector Trevor Robinson said.
“The alleged behavior of this woman risked the safety of herself, passengers, and crew, and in this case caused a delayed takeoff, which inconveniences everyone on board,” he added.
Robinson also warned, “Anyone misbehaving on a flight and not cooperating with law enforcement isn’t just spoiling their trip, but they are potentially ruining the travel plans of hundreds of other people. They also face the possibility of a criminal conviction on their record for life.”
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Young was issued a court attendance notice for not following the cabin crew’s safety instructions, which can carry a maximum fine of $16,500. The notice also included “Obstruct/hinder/intimidate/resist Commonwealth official, contrary to s 149.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth),” which carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment.
The AFP ended their post on Facebook with a warning: “So please, save your dance moves for another time.”
