Sleeping passenger attacked by fellow travelers on US flight

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – A man faces felony charges after an unprovoked attack on a sleeping fellow passenger during a cross-country flight this week, authorities said.

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 Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia lasted about a minute.

“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, a passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive with another customer,” United said in a statement. “The aircraft landed safely and was met by paramedics and local police.”

United said there were 82 customers and six crew members on the flight.

According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson left his seat in the back of the plane and used a restroom near the front before attacking the other man, who suffered bruises around his eyes and a gash on his nose. Blood was spattered on the sleeves of Nelson’s windbreaker.

The agent said Nelson was moved to a seat near the front of the plane and was being watched by the passenger who had stopped the assault. There was no indication that Nelson knew the victim, who was not identified.

The public defender listed as Nelson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal judge ordered Nelson to be held in custody until his trial, which is scheduled for December 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. The judge cited the evidence against Nelson and his history of lack of stable employment and residence.

There have been more than 1,700 reports of unruly passengers on flights this year, in line with an increase in the number of incidents last year. Reports of unruly passengers increased in 2021 and, while declining for the next two years, have remained higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.