A Berkeley man was arrested after he allegedly grew irate while demanding nuts and crackers while on board a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago, forcing the plane to divert to Belfast, Ireland, according to media reports.

Jeremiah Mathias Thede, 42, appeared before a magistrate on charges of endangering the safety of an aircraft, being disorderly and assaulting a member of the cabin crew.

About 15 minutes into the flight from Rome to Chicago on Saturday, Thede allegedly got out of his seat while the seat-belt light was still on and refused a flight attendant’s request to sit down. Thede said he wouldn’t return to his seat until he was given nuts and crackers, authorities said.

He sat back down after being given the snacks but got back up again 10 minutes later and asked for more, according to media reports. Flight attendants said Thede became abusive, blocked the aisle and grabbed bags from the overhead bins, frightening passengers, authorities said.

The captain decided to divert the plane to Belfast because of the man’s behavior, but before landing, the plane had to dump fuel as a precautionary measure because of the shortened flight. Many passengers were forced to spend the night at the airport, investigators said.

A message left for Thede on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images



