An American Airlines flight returned to New York City to offload a 'disruptive' passenger after he insulted a flight attendant

• An American Airlines flight returned to New York City after a passenger was said to be "disruptive."
• The passenger, Joel Ghansham, said he wasn't disruptive but that he had a disagreement with a flight attendant.

An American Airlines flight turned back to New York City after a disagreement ensued between a passenger and a flight attendant.

The plane returned to John F. Kennedy International Airport two hours into its flight to Georgetown, Guyana on Tuesday, according to a report by local news outlet Stabroek News. American told Insider in an email the flight had to be diverted because of a "disruptive" passenger on board.

Joel Ghansham, the passenger, denied that he was disruptive in an interview posted on YouTube. Ghansham explained in the interview that he recently underwent surgery and could not lift things. Ghansham said he then asked a flight attendant to help him stow his bag in the luggage compartment, but the attendant refused.

"He was like, 'I don't do that, I don't get paid for that,'" Ghansham said, referring to the flight attendant's response to his request. Ghansham added that he was seated in business class.

Ghansham said another flight attendant then apologized to him and helped him stow his bag.

Around an hour into the flight, during meal service, the flight attendant who refused to help Ghansham with his bag asked if he wanted something to drink, and he responded: "No thank you, waiter."

According to Ghansham's interview with local news outlet Demerara Waves, the flight attendant then told Ghansham he was not a waiter and that he "had the power to turn the plane."

"You must be God so you do it," Ghamsham responded, per the interview. The pilot announced that the plane was turning back to New York City. Upon landing, Ghansham was offloaded at JFK airport, according to the interview.

Ghansham denied that he and the flight attendant got into an argument.

"There was not a disruption. I never got up. There was not an argument, there was not a confrontation, nobody touched each other. He was wearing a mask. He wasn't even loud. It was just his pride," Ghansham said in the interview.

At JFK Airport, Ghansham was met by a police officer and a Transportation Security Administration agent who interviewed him and allowed him to leave the airport, per Demerara Waves.

"Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their understanding and our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation," American told Insider in an email.

Ghansham did not respond to a request for comment sent outside of regular business hours.