People who fly commercially have several things to be concerned with. This includes things like delays, oversold flights, and unruly passengers. However, most people never think of the possibility of a physical attack while flying. Sadly, this happened on a recent United flight to a plane passenger who happens to be non-verbal. Now, the perpetrator is facing charges. 

This plane passenger endured an attack in their sleep for what seems to be no reason

Being a plane passenger can be stressful. You have to travel to the airport early, go through TSA, and deal with crowds. However, according to The Independent, one person flying on United Airlines had to deal with much more than the usual stressors. The flight happened on October 28th, traveling from California to Washington, D.C. However, things went south about two hours after the journey began. 

Reports say this is when Everett Chad Nelson from Florida got up from his seat in search of the airplane bathroom. However, after coming back, he made the seemingly random decision to attack another plane passenger. The report says, “Without notice, [he] began physically attacking a sleeping male passenger by punching him repeatedly in the face and head until blood was drawn.” Apparently, this happened for a full minute. 

Naturally, the sleeping plane passenger began to scream in pain. Luckily, another person assisted the victim. This person was able to pull the assailant away from him. Sadly, the victim sustained two black eyes, a gash on his nose, and other injuries. From here, the staff on the flight moved Everett to the front of the plane, where they could keep an eye on him. They also reported the issue to the Transportation Security Administration. The FBI is also investigating. 

United released the following statement, “Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday. The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”

As for the assailant, he is facing charges of assault by beating, striking, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He could have up to one year behind bars. 

For more reading, check out this recent article on common causes of plane crashes.