A New Jersey woman was sexually assaulted on an American Airlines flight by a stranger — who climbed on top of her mid-air — and she blames the carrier for failing to stop the attack, a new lawsuit says.
The vile assault occurred during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, NC, to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Aug. 26, 2022, according to documents filed in federal court last week.
Shortly after the plane took off, the woman fell asleep and later “awoke to find the Perpetrator’s left arm inside her pants and his right hand forcing her hand onto his penis,” the lawsuit says.
The woman, who The Post is not naming, was seated between a friend and the “unknown male passenger” for the two-hour flight, the suit states.
The man covered himself and the victim with his black puffer jacket and “digitally penetrated her” as she slept, leaving her frozen in “a state of shock and panic” once she awoke, the papers say.
The stranger then climbed on top of her, “attempting to penetrate her with his penis, which he was partially able to do,” according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff gathered the courage to push Perpetrator away, at which point he quickly returned to his seat,” the suit claims.
The attacker then tried to act as if nothing had happened after noticing a flight attendant nearby and asked the victim if she would like some water while “forcibly holding her hand,” according to the suit.
Soon after, the woman woke her friend, and they reported the assault to a flight attendant, who switched the victim to a different seat for the rest of the flight, according to the lawsuit.
When the flight landed, the man was “escorted off the plane,” and authorities took reports from the victim and other witnesses to the attack, the suit says. But it is “unknown whether the Perpetrator was taken into custody and/or ever charged with the sexual assault of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit claims.
The suit contends that the airline industry is “well aware” of the rise of sexual assaults on flights, citing FBI data that says 96 cases stemming from in-flight sexual assaults were opened last year.
The suit asserts that the woman “did nothing to cause or contribute to the cause of the assault she suffered” and that American Airlines “owed a duty of care” to ensure her safety during the flight.
“American Airlines breached its duty of care by failing to properly monitor the cabin, failing to prevent the sexual assault, and failing to promptly intervene when the assault occurred,” the lawsuit claims.
The woman’s lawyer, Brian Andris, told The Post on Monday, “As alleged in the complaint, we look forward to seeking justice on behalf of our client to remedy this terrible injustice for all that she has suffered.”
The alleged perpetrator is not named as a defendant in the suit and does not have a lawyer listed in court filings.
American Airlines did not immediately return a request for comment from The Post on Monday.