American Airlines’ Viral Vaper Doubles Down, Demands Accountability

American Airlines’ Viral Vaper Doubles Down, Demands Accountability

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A couple of days ago, I covered a story whereby an American Airlines passenger uploaded a video of him getting into a confrontation with a flight attendant after being caught vaping in the lavatory.

The self-proclaimed celebrity pickleball coach then accused the flight attendant of assault, claimed he was a lawyer (he’s not), threatened to share the video with his 25,000 (now 22,000) followers, and just acted with complete disrespect.

When the guy uploaded the video, clearly he thought he’d get support and sympathy, but that wasn’t the case, as the reaction to his behavior was overwhelmingly negative. Along those lines, there’s an interesting update…

“I can’t delete it, it’s already on the internet”

After receiving a ton of international attention over this incident, Peter “Kobe” Nguyen has now uploaded another Instagram post addressing this situation, which I find to be quite interesting. The picture has text written on it, which reads “I can’t delete it, it’s already on the internet.”

My expectation was that maybe he had self-reflected a bit, and was issuing an apology, or realizing how his behavior wasn’t good. Well, that’s not quite what he had to say. Instead, here’s what he wrote:

On August 4, 2025, something happened to me that I never imagined I’d have to go through — especially on a commercial airline.

While flying on American Airlines Flight 2860, my privacy and dignity were violated in ways that left me shaken, humiliated, and hurt. I’m sharing this because I believe no passenger should ever go through this.

The incident has impacted my mental health, my work, and my ability to trust the very systems meant to keep us safe. I have even lost a very important friend through all of this — someone I cared for deeply and who was an important part of my life.

I’m not just a CEO and nonprofit founder — I’m also a Hollywood producer. The reputational harm from this incident has been devastating to my career.

I have formally taken this matter to American Airlines’ legal department. My goal is not only accountability, but to make sure this never happens to anyone else.

I will fight for justice, privacy, and dignity for every passenger.

Take this as a lesson of how not to respond

We’re all human, and humans are imperfect beings. Sometimes we get things wrong. In those situations, I think the best course of action is just owning up to our mistakes, acknowledging that we screwed up, and promising to do better in the future.

Based on the quote he had on the picture — “I can’t delete it, it’s already on the internet” — I was expecting that he had taken time to reflect on the incident, and would apologize in some form, and acknowledge he wasn’t behaving his best.

But nope, instead he’s going in the opposite direction, and doubling down, while claiming that the “reputational harm from this incident has been devastating” to his career. His lack of self awareness here is something else, in my opinion.

He uses the word “privacy” twice — once to say that his privacy was violated, and another time to say that he’ll fight for privacy. Dude, you were the one who recorded the incident and uploaded it onto the internet for the world to see, not anyone else! If privacy was the concern, you have no one to blame but yourself.

He’s also demanding “accountability” for this incident, while not taking any accountability for the fact that he violated Federal Aviation Regulations by vaping on a plane. And he claims this incident has impacted his ability to “trust the very systems meant to keep us safe.” You mean, you’re angry that the system prevented you from vaping on a plane?

I’m really sorry for the impact this has had on his mental health, as obviously negativity can be difficult for people to deal with (regardless of who is at fault). At the same time, when he threatened the flight attendant by claiming he’d expose her to his 25,000 followers, did he consider the impact that might have on her mental health? Or is it only his mental health that matters?

This is just such an unfortunate doubling down, which only makes him look worse, in my opinion. I’d have so much more respect for him if he took even a morsel of responsibility for this. He doesn’t even acknowledge that he violated federal regulations, or that he was the one who caused the reputational harm by uploading this.

Bottom line

An American Airlines passenger was caught vaping on a flight, and then decided to film the situation, and upload it online. He was obviously expecting sympathy, but that’s not how it played out. Rather than now reflecting on his behavior, he’s promising to hold American accountable for violating his privacy (???), among other things.

What do you make of the way this passenger is doubling down?

Conversations (47)
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  1. omarsidd Diamond

    Ugh, very privileged, completely self-unaware, and acting like a child. Hope this follows him around for a long time to come.

  2. SAm Guest

    just waiting for the inevitable gofundme link....LOL

  3. Dk Guest

    The first toy this idiot received in his life was a victim card.
    AA, please prosecute this fool to the fullest extent of that is possible.

  4. karmatourer Member

    Like I said yesterday, he’s the Asian, effeminate version of George Santos.
    There is so much with him,

  5. Tom Zborowski Guest

    This kis needs a good ass kicking.

  6. FlyerDon Guest

    Why do you keep giving this guy ink?

  7. Phillip Guest

    What a turkey. Follow the rules and there is no problem. Break the rules and suffer the consequences. He should be banned from flying again.

  8. grayanderson Gold

    Legal would have a cow, but I'd love to see AA respond with "In the interest of full accountability, we have referred both our actions and the actions of Mr.Legal would have a cow, but I'd love to see AA respond with "In the interest of accountability for all parties involved, we have referred both our actions and the actions of Mr. Nguyen to the FAA with a request that the full force of the law be applied for any violations thereof."

  9. Jd Guest

    Hilarious, in his new post says his mental health was impacted... LOL, for that you need to have one first. Watching his idiotic behavior, it's doubtful

  10. iamhere Guest

    AA should ban him and they should have filed criminal consequences because of vaping.

  11. Kris Guest

    These are the kind of people that make every day contact difficult. His mental health must have been in question long before this incident. This flight attendant didn't want to be photographed...sadly she touched his shoulder, hardly an assault that ruins the world's credibility. At least I won't run into him on American Airlines anymore!

  12. Dee Guest

    His parents must be so proud!

  13. frrp Diamond

    he kindof seems like a bit of a bell

  14. Oriflamme Guest

    He sounds like he has both persecutory delusions and delusions of grandeur, but I’d still be interested to see his “Hollywood producer” filmography lol.

    1. Las Vegas Guy Guest

      Remember, in his own words, "I have a lawyer.....I am a lawyer." How very Jon Lovitz SNL character of him!

      I wonder if his admitting in his own video that he was vaping is enough to get him fined? If the flight attendant saw smoke coming from the lavatory or smelled smoke, she likely had the right to open the door. If he was really in there with his pants around his ankles, I...

      Remember, in his own words, "I have a lawyer.....I am a lawyer." How very Jon Lovitz SNL character of him!

      I wonder if his admitting in his own video that he was vaping is enough to get him fined? If the flight attendant saw smoke coming from the lavatory or smelled smoke, she likely had the right to open the door. If he was really in there with his pants around his ankles, I wonder why no other passengers have come forward to support him.

      His Linkedin profile does not show any law degree or legal training like he claims. Odd that he changed his name to a description on it too.

  15. Edward Guest

    AA needs to press charges, and this idiot needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, with a long incarceration and hefty fine. UGH!

    1. UncleRonnie Diamond

      Is pickleball coach the same thing inside prison…..?

  16. Robin Guest

    F this guy. Seriously.

    He embodies everything that is wrong with the selfish people of today.

  17. Samo Guest

    A good way to avoid "reputational damage" is to not act like a c*nt, and if you can't avoid that, at least to not put yourself acting like a c*nt on the internet. Peace.

  18. Larry Guest

    This is a no-brainer...He is pulling what we are seeing these days — deflecting the issue to divert attention and trying hard to make a few bucks.

    1. GG Guest

      He does not allow comments on his Instagram posts and is trying to have people pay $4.99 to get access to his channel to see his AA stories. Yeah, this guy is not getting any support, just roasted.

  19. Florian Guest

    I am not a fan of Mr Rumsfeld but in one thing he had been absolutely right.

    If you are already in a hole stop digging.

  20. paul deschamps Guest

    guys got blond hair on an Asian head and talks like
    a spoiled 12 year old. he's a jerk.

  21. Jim Guest

    Why ! Why ! Do the wrong doers always cry faul when caught during the breaking of set rules ?? The person should be fined and possibly jailed for his reckless behavior !!!

  22. David Lamb Guest

    Color me shocked.

    Nothing happened to him once he got off the aircraft apparently. This man should have been met by LEOs and fined. He violated federal law.

    I stand by my original FB post. He is an entitled arrogant prick. The fact that he wasn’t arrested and charged tells me that AA didn’t press the issue. There must have been something in the that made them not put this guy’s head on a...

    Color me shocked.

    Nothing happened to him once he got off the aircraft apparently. This man should have been met by LEOs and fined. He violated federal law.

    I stand by my original FB post. He is an entitled arrogant prick. The fact that he wasn’t arrested and charged tells me that AA didn’t press the issue. There must have been something in the that made them not put this guy’s head on a spike.

    It’s hard to know what AA will do. They might just try to make this go away, since the chances of negative social media PR may just be the thing that drives their actions.

    However, I wish they would go in another direction. First, in my opinion, this guy violated 49 USC 46504 and 49 USC 46706 (interfering with crew members and smoking/vaping respectively). Both have civil fines but 46504 has possible jail time in the statute.

    It’s hard to know if what he did rises to either, but there is nothing that says the FAA can’t refer this to the FBI to investigate. This is the first thing that needs to happen.

    As much as I would love AA to tell this guy to pound sand, they don’t have the time to mess with nuisance lawsuits. I would hope their lawyers would scare the crap out of him and make this guy think twice about taking any legal action. However, we would probably never know that.

    There needs to be zero tolerance on both smoking/vaping and interference with crew members. The safety of passengers is the only thing that matters and this guy put them at risk. HE needs to be held accountable for his actions.

    I fully support AA.

    Let the chips fall.

    1. karmatourer Member

      Oh, he’d be a prize if he was incarcerated.

    2. Dk Guest

      If you don't address the small infractions, they become larger and larger. The guy violated the law and that has repercussions. No one can fix his ignorance.

  23. Alonzo Diamond

    Very easy to see that he laying the tracks for a lawsuit. Using terms like emotional distress and privacy are the pillars of any good lawsuit.

    He'll probably get lucky and AA will settle out of court as I'm sure they'll want to put this behind them and move on.

    1. Robert Pope Guest

      If AA caves in to this arragont a**hole they have become part of the problem.

    2. DFW Flyer Guest

      "...pillars of any good lawsuit." What literal nonsense is this? Putting that aside, I think AA could easily argue that claimant's alleged emotional distress stems significantly from their own posting of their video and that IF AA's crew had caused any of this alleged emotional distress, there would be no way to parse out how much was self-inflicted vs caused by AA.

      Why would AA settle out of court? The video doesn't seem to...

      "...pillars of any good lawsuit." What literal nonsense is this? Putting that aside, I think AA could easily argue that claimant's alleged emotional distress stems significantly from their own posting of their video and that IF AA's crew had caused any of this alleged emotional distress, there would be no way to parse out how much was self-inflicted vs caused by AA.

      Why would AA settle out of court? The video doesn't seem to be harming the company, driving a need to put this behind them. Further, AA's finances may not be great, but they surely have enough money to drag this through court, either outlasting claimant's finances, or going the distance and very likely seeing judgement in their favor. Even if they didn't get judgement in their favor, I don't think the cost would be high, nor does it seem there's any reputational harm here.

      As others have said, claimant should stop digging and let this be a weekend news cycle slop story that dies.

  24. PDS Guest

    This scumbag is literally just generating noise to get more coverage (and therefore views ie revenue) and you fell into the trap of giving him what he wants

  25. seanp78 Gold

    This won’t end well for this self-entitled brat. It’s simple - Don’t break the law on planes.

    Hopefully he learns a lesson rather than relishing in all this publicity the story is getting and listening to those egging him on.

  26. James Guest

    It's always good to see a fellow Arizona State alumnus make a name for themselves.

  27. Eskimo Guest

    "I will fight for justice, privacy, and dignity for every passenger."

    He can start by fighting himself first, give justice to passengers who don't want to inhale vape smoke in a prohibited area.

    1. TravelinWilly Diamond

      Technically, it's not smoke, it's vapor. Thus the words "vape" and "vaping" instead of "smoke" and "smoking."

    2. Mh Diamond

      A technicality without a practical difference.

      Both emit poisonous chemicals into the air, and produce a bad smell, impacting those around them.

  28. JS Guest

    A cocky, entitled sh*t at minimum. How did his family even raise him?

    1. TravelinWilly Diamond

      Be careful, JS, he might put you on the internet for his ...*counts*...25,000 followers to see.

      A Kardashian he is not. Thank goodness.

  29. Ted Guest

    Sounds like someone is getting banned from AA lol. Play stupid games…win stupid prizes. Hopefully he will grow up

  30. Gavin Guest

    Some people were born twits, and will remain so. Can't cure stupidity.

    1. AeroB13a Guest

      Gavin, please give that advice to the Eskimo as he is stupidly obsessed with trolling Tim Dunn …. :-)

  31. UncleRonnie Diamond

    Maybe “his privacy” refers to the FA barging into the toilet….?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ UncleRonnie -- I guess that's a reasonable interpretation as well. But if you're violating Federal Aviation Regulations and if a flight attendant has a reason to believe you're smoking or vaping in the lavatory, one loses their right to privacy. Presumably the smoke detector was going off, or something, or else the flight attendant wouldn't have barged in.

    2. Jj Guest

      Right. Smoke detector going off = possible fire = possible everyone dies. I’d be concerned if an FA didn’t immediately intervene. Given the possibility the person may have intentionally started a fire, or is in the middle of trying to detonate something, you don’t give a courtesy knock, you get in ASAP.

    3. Jj Guest

      And yeah, probably 99.99% of the time it’s some idiot smoking or vaping, but given what’s at stake you’ve got to assume the worst.

    4. grayanderson Gold

      This. Even if it was a detector malfunction of some sort (in which case, at most an apology for the inconvenience and a few thousand miles offered proactively would feel "about right"), the FA was right to react quickly and strongly.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ UncleRonnie -- I guess that's a reasonable interpretation as well. But if you're violating Federal Aviation Regulations and if a flight attendant has a reason to believe you're smoking or vaping in the lavatory, one loses their right to privacy. Presumably the smoke detector was going off, or something, or else the flight attendant wouldn't have barged in.

6
David Lamb Guest

Color me shocked. Nothing happened to him once he got off the aircraft apparently. This man should have been met by LEOs and fined. He violated federal law. I stand by my original FB post. He is an entitled arrogant prick. The fact that he wasn’t arrested and charged tells me that AA didn’t press the issue. There must have been something in the that made them not put this guy’s head on a spike. It’s hard to know what AA will do. They might just try to make this go away, since the chances of negative social media PR may just be the thing that drives their actions. However, I wish they would go in another direction. First, in my opinion, this guy violated 49 USC 46504 and 49 USC 46706 (interfering with crew members and smoking/vaping respectively). Both have civil fines but 46504 has possible jail time in the statute. It’s hard to know if what he did rises to either, but there is nothing that says the FAA can’t refer this to the FBI to investigate. This is the first thing that needs to happen. As much as I would love AA to tell this guy to pound sand, they don’t have the time to mess with nuisance lawsuits. I would hope their lawyers would scare the crap out of him and make this guy think twice about taking any legal action. However, we would probably never know that. There needs to be zero tolerance on both smoking/vaping and interference with crew members. The safety of passengers is the only thing that matters and this guy put them at risk. HE needs to be held accountable for his actions. I fully support AA. Let the chips fall.

5
Eskimo Guest

"I will fight for justice, privacy, and dignity for every passenger." He can start by fighting himself first, give justice to passengers who don't want to inhale vape smoke in a prohibited area.

5
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