A United Airlines passenger says she was left sitting beside a man who allegedly engaged in a lewd sexual act, even after she told the flight crew she felt unsafe and uncomfortable.
The 25-year-old woman, who works as a pediatric crisis therapist, told NBC News that the incident took place Sept. 3 during an early-morning flight from Rochester, New York, to Newark, New Jersey. NBC News withheld her name to protect her privacy.
She said the man, whom she described as an “unassuming” and “pretty normal looking” man in his 30s, allegedly masturbated while watching her during the roughly one-hour regional flight.
After notifying the crew, the woman said she was permitted to stand in the aircraft galley for part of the trip. But as the plane prepared to land, crew members instructed her to return to her seat near the back because the flight was full.
“On multiple instances,” she told NBC News, “I said I feel uncomfortable doing that.”
According to her account, a flight attendant reassured her that the landing would last only three to five minutes. She said the process ultimately took longer.
The man was allegedly allowed to leave the aircraft. The woman said she then reported him to a male gate agent, whose response she characterized as curt.
“What am I supposed to do about it?” the agent allegedly asked, reportedly telling her that contacting authorities was her responsibility, according to NBC News.
Another United employee encouraged the woman to submit complaints to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration, she said. She filed both complaints and later contacted the FBI.
A United representative subsequently responded in an email obtained by NBC News.
“I can imagine how upsetting and uncomfortable it must have been to experience behavior from another passenger that caused you concern,” the email reportedly stated, “particularly while seated in a location where you felt concerned.”
In her reply, also reviewed by NBC News, the woman said the airline’s message used “a lot of blaming language, which I find very offensive.”
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“I DID remove myself and ask for help,” she reportedly wrote. “Additionally, framing public masturbation as ‘behavior that caused me concern’ implies that what occurred could somehow be perceived as acceptable.”
A United spokesperson told Oxygen in a statement that the safety of the airline’s customers and employees is its “top priority.”
“This incident was reported to flight attendants on a September 3 flight operated by United Express partner Republic Airways,” the statement said. “The customer stayed in the aircraft galley until returning to her seat for the landing. United Airlines staff members learned about it as customers were deplaning.”
“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority,” the statement continued. “We take these matters seriously and are looking into what happened. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience.”
Republic Airways representatives did not immediately respond to Oxygen’s requests for comment. An FBI spokesperson also declined to comment.
An FAA spokesperson referred Oxygen to the agency’s website policy regarding “unruly passengers.”
“FAA regulations specify that passengers must follow all crewmember safety instructions,” the spokesperson told Oxygen. “The FAA investigates all passenger-disturbance incidents that airlines report. The FAA pursues legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crewmembers, and can propose civil penalties up to $43,658 per violation. One incident can result in multiple violations. Passengers who engage in unruly behavior can also face criminal charges.”
The woman told NBC News that United provided her with a $100 credit toward the $400 flight.
“I could say it was insulting but everything about it was not so much insulting as it was super concerning,” she told the outlet. “It is the first time I’ve been purposely trapped by people who were supposed to be helping me.”
She said she hopes the man is identified and placed on a no-fly list.
“I just got the sense [he] had done it before,” she told NBC News. “People don’t just do those things at 6 a.m.”