A man faces a felony assault charge after an unprovoked attack on a fellow passenger who was sleeping during a cross-country flight this week, according to authorities.
An FBI agent said Everett Chad Nelson punched the other man repeatedly in the face and head, leaving the man bleeding, before another passenger pulled him off the victim. The attack on a United Airlines flight Monday from San Francisco to Dulls International Airport lasted about a minute.
“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer,” United said in a statement. The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.
According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson left his seat in the rear of the plane and used a lavatory near the front before attacking the other man, who suffered bruises around his eyes and a gash on the nose. Nelson was moved to a seat near the front of the plane and was watched by the passenger who had stopped the assault. There was no indication that Nelson knew the victim.
A federal magistrate ruled that Nelson should be held in custody until trial, citing the evidence against him and his history of lacking stable employment and residence. The public defender listed as Nelson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Incidents of unruly passenger behavior on planes have remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, with over 1,700 reports of such incidents so far this year. The unprovoked attack on the sleeping passenger underscores the ongoing challenges airlines and law enforcement face in maintaining safety and order on flights.
