A Florida man is in custody after repeatedly beating a passenger mid-flight. The offender reportedly began to attack his victim while he was asleep on a United Airlines flight. The unfortunate passenger, who is deaf and nonverbal, suffered numerous wounds. The offender has since been charged with a felony.
The FBI said that Everett Chad Nelson, who was seated in 35F, walked to the lavatory about two hours into a flight from San Francisco, California, to Dulles, Virginia, USA, ABC News reported on Wednesday (October 30).
Highlights
- Florida man attacks deaf passenger on United flight, now in custody.
- Victim suffered black eyes and nose gash; treated on-flight by doctor.
- Attack stopped by another passenger; assailant charged with felony.
- FAA is investigating amid rising rates of unruly passenger events.
While returning to his seat after using the lavatory, Nelson reportedly stopped at seat 12F, where a man was sleeping. The victim has not been identified publicly.
A Florida man randomly began beating a deaf, sleeping passenger mid-flight until his face was bruised and bloody
Image credits: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty (Not the actual photo)
Nelson, 44, reportedly began repeatedly punching the passenger, while blood splattered across both men and onto the plane’s seat, window, and wall.
An FBI affidavit stated that the victim awoke screaming, and other passengers attempted to intervene, as per ABC News.
Image credits: Daniel Shapiro / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
As a result of the attack, the victim was left with black eyes and a gash on his nose. He was treated by a doctor on the flight for abrasions on his face and head.
The victim, who did not even harm Nelson in self-defense, faced a beating that lasted for about one minute, according to the FBI affidavit.
The attack only stopped after another passenger forced Nelson away from the victim
Image credits: Hanson Lu / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Image credits: lutfi gaos / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Nelson was subsequently moved to a seat at the front of the aircraft and monitored by the passenger who had stopped the assault.
In the aftermath of the incident, United Airlines wrote in a statement: "Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer."
Image credits: Imgorthand / Getty (Not the actual photo)
“The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement."
It is unclear what prompted the attack on the passenger, The New York Times reported on Thursday (October 31).
Image credits: Syphers / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Nelson was subsequently charged with one felony count of assault by beating, striking, and wounding, as per The Times.
The offender reportedly appeared in a federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday, before US Magistrate Judge William B. Porter.
As of Thursday, Nelson reportedly remained in custody and had not entered a plea. Moreover, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it was investigating the attack.
Image credits: DerManuW / Pixaby (Not the actual photo)
The latest International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures show that there has been an increase in the rate of reported unruly passenger incidents.
Based on over 24,500 incident reports from over 50 operators globally, there was one incident for every 480 flights in 2023, versus one incident for every 568 flights in 2022.
Nelson is being labeled as "crazy" and "vile" for his impromptu attack by various commenters
