On United Airlines flight 2247 from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. on Monday a Florida man engaged in a violent assault against another passenger.
44-year-old Everett Chad Nelson, seated at the rear of the plane, left his seat to use a forward lavatory on the Boeing 737 MAX 9. Upon coming out of the bathroom, he paused near seat 12F, where an unsuspecting male passenger was asleep. Without warning, he launched into a minute-long attack. Witnesses describe Nelson repeatedly punching the man in the face and head, causing significant injury and leaving the immediate area covered in blood.
The FBI’s report details that Nelson’s assault left the victim with two black eyes and a lacerated nose. Blood spattered across the seat, window, wall, and onto Nelson’s own green windbreaker. The attack came without an apparent motive, and authorities confirm that there was no previous interaction between the two men.
A fellow passenger ultimately intervened, restraining Nelson and separating him from the battered victim, who then received first aid from a doctor onboard. Following the assault, United crew members relocated Nelson to the front of the aircraft, where he was monitored for the remainder of the flight. There were 81 other passengers on board.
According to a United spokesperson,
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.
Boeing 737 MAX 9, credit: United
The violent outburst carries potential jail time of up to a year in prison for felony assault as well as FAA administrative penalties. He’s certainly going to receive a lifetime ban from United Airlines. Occurring on the same day that passengers in premium economy on a British Airways flight headed to Austin erupted into violence of a MAGA hat, the world is definitely getting weirder.
(HT: Paul H)
Sigh – playing into the “Florida man” theme huh? Has ZERO impact where he lives so not sure why you had to play that card. Sad
@Retired Gambler
The perpetrator was indeed a resident of Florida, and he certainly lived up to that negative stereotype, so the identifier here (and in other articles on this incident) is both appropriate and telling. Don’t defend the indefensible.
News articles and government reports about this incident refer to the perpetrator as a Florida resident and being a man.
This is messed up even for Florida Man.
@John tries his best to be a moral authority and appear as though he is taking the high road, but he can’t help himself to slip in that [the man being a resident of Florida] “certainly lived up to that negative stereotype”. Sorry, John, @Retired Gambler was right, and your response was pitiful.
He gets light punishment for doing that — up to a year in jail?
If it’s only up to a year in prison it’s not a felony. If it’s a felony, it’s more than a year in prison. Hopefully the latter.
Any unprovoked beatdown on a sleeping passenger should earn a year for each punch thrown. And a mandatory probation with no ability to travel. This dude is a menace!
If the passenger was Mr. Pelosi, the puncher would get life in prison with no parole.
It’s good to hear that proper justice was brought against the perpetrating passenger, but they may also wanna do a Psychological test on this person to see why he went all Ape shit on a flight
The passenger who was assaulted needs to bring a private civil action against the perpetrator. A year in jail is one thing, but depending upon the damages suffered (fractured orbital sockets, etc.), a judgment of a few million dollars would help. Having a house, car, and other personal possession attached and sold to satisfy a portion of a judgment may be a better lesson.
@TexasTJ @Retired Gambler
You are right. Neither the state of residence nor the gender of the perpetrator is actually important. Anyone that does what Mr. Nelson did on that flight should be banned by the airline and prosecuted by the authorities. The irony is that I am a man, and I am from Florida. We are not all like that guy.
What happened to Mr Pelosi was horrific. The cops let that nutcake land a blow on Pelosi fracturing his skull. Why wasn’t he tased, pepper sprayed, tackled. If that had been your father I am sure you would have wanted swifter intervention.