A 43-year-old Belgian man was arrested in the United States on Monday following an incident earlier this year. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years of prison sentence in the US.
On 31 March 2024, the Belgian man Jan D. was a passenger aboard a Swiss International Airlines flight. The flight departed from Newark in the United States and was bound for Zurich in Switzerland.
Yet shortly after takeoff, Jan allegedly grabbed a female flight attendant’s breasts while shaking her and yelling at her. The attendant finally managed to escape, but the man allegedly tried to enter the cockpit by punching and kicking at the door, trying to break it down. When this didn’t work, the Belgian passenger allegedly got hold of another flight attendant who tried to hold him back, whom he punched and kicked multiple times in the head and torso. Ultimately, the remaining flight personnel managed to restrain the passenger on the ground and the plane returned to Newark Liberty International Airport.
Following the incident, Jan D. was arrested on Monday and made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, he is being charged with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants by assault and intimidation, one count of assault, and one count of abusive sexual contact on an airplane. After the hearing, the man was released after posting a €100,000 bail.
If the 43-year-old is indeed found guilty of what he is being charged with, the charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of €250,000. The charge of assault by beating or striking carries a maximum punishment of one year in prison and a maximum fine of €100,000. The charge of abusive sexual contact carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum fine of €250,000. So far, however, a press release states that “the charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty”.
