Owen Thiele made the most of the unexpected stop in Albuquerque by befriending fellow passengers and heading to Dave & Buster’s while they waited for a replacement flight.
ByHelen Storms
September 11, 2026
Andrew Garfield and several other famous faces had their travel plans derailed this week after their flight made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Garfield was one of the 235 passengers aboard Delta Flight 958 from Los Angeles to New York on Wednesday when a smoky odor led to the plane being diverted to Albuquerque. Luckily, the plane landed safely, but the passengers were then left figuring out how they were going to kill time while waiting to continue their trip.
Among them were Adults star Owen Thiele, actor Nick Robinson, singer Mark Ambor, and Love Island USA alum Dylan Wrona.
Thiele documented the ordeal on Instagram, including the unexpected realization that he was sharing the detour with Garfield.
“Andrew Garfield on my flight. If the plane went down it would’ve said Andrew Garfield and others,” Thiele joked. “Nick Robinson here too. Andrew Garfield, Nick Robinson and others.”
Rather than spending the entire delay waiting around the airport, Thiele decided to make the most of things and befriended a group of his fellow passengers. The group ultimately decided to head out for an impromptu trip to Dave & Buster’s.
“I’m in the back of a car going to Dave & Buster’s with 9 people I’ve never met before,” Thiele wrote online.
Garfield, meanwhile, was later photographed back at the airport with Wrona as they waited for their replacement flight.
After the unplanned trip to Dave & Buster’s, Thiele’s group eventually headed back to the airport. But the travel problems didn’t end there. They ordered P.F. Chang’s only to receive the wrong food. Thiele later said he and his fellow passengers spent yet another hour sitting aboard their replacement plane before finally taking off again.
Delta confirmed the original flight was diverted because of a “smoky odor,” noting that the aircraft “landed uneventfully.” The airline apologized and said that its teams worked to get customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.
“I love my new friends, we’re all in a group chat,” Thiele later said of the new friendships he made due to the ordeal.
