A 25-year-old pediatric crisis therapist says United Airlines made her sit beside a man who had been masturbating next to her throughout an early-morning flight to New Jersey.
The woman, who spoke, said the incident unfolded on the roughly one-hour trip from Rochester, New York, to Newark on Sept. 3. She was aboard the 6 a.m. Flight when the male passenger seated beside her began touching himself while staring directly at her, she said.
She got up and moved away from him, then reported his behavior to the flight crew. The attendants allowed her to stand for portions of the remainder of the flight, she said.
But the situation worsened as the plane prepared to land. With no empty seats available, crew members instructed her to return to her original spot beside the man. “On multiple instances, I said I feel uncomfortable doing that,” she said.
She said a flight attendant downplayed her objections, telling her she would only have to endure the seating arrangement for a few more minutes during landing.
The woman’s troubles did not end once the aircraft touched down at Newark. She claimed United staff failed to contact law enforcement or prevent the man from simply walking off the plane and leaving the airport. She further alleged that one United agent she approached responded dismissively, asking, “what am I supposed to do about it?” before telling her it was her own responsibility to reach out to police.
Following the flight, the woman filed reports with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI, and United Airlines. She also shared her suspicion that the man had engaged in similar behavior before. “I just got the sense [he] had done it before … People don’t just do those things at 6 a.m.,” she said.
United Airlines confirmed it is investigating the matter. “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We take these matters seriously and are looking into what happened. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience,” a United spokesperson said in a statement.
The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.