Bloody assault of sleeping passenger on United Airlines flight is under investigation: FAA

In a bloody and seemingly random assault, a man attacked a sleeping passenger on a United Airlines flight on Monday, according to court documents.

The FBI says 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.

While returning to his seat after using the lavatory, he stopped at seat 12F, where a man was sleeping, and began repeatedly punching him.

Blood splattered across both men, as well as the aircraft seat, window and wall. An FBI affidavit stated that the victim awoke screaming, and other passengers attempted to intervene.

Court documents said the sleeping passenger suffered black eyes and a gash to his nose. They also indicated that the victim did not harm Nelson, even in self-defense.

Another passenger succeeded in pulling Nelson off the passenger. Nelson was moved to a seat at the front of the aircraft and monitored by the passenger who stopped the assault.

"Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer," United Airlines said in a statement. "The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement."

United Airlines Flight #2247 "safely landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after the crew reported a passenger disturbance" at 1:40 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The injured man was then treated by a doctor for “abrasions to the face and head,” according to court documents.

Nelson made his initial court appearance on Tuesday and was temporarily detained by a judge. He has not yet entered a plea.

The FAA also noted that the rate of unruly passenger incidents has "dropped by over 80 percent since record-highs in early 2021 but unacceptable behavior continues to occur."

In 2024, airlines have reported over 1,200 unruly passenger cases, according to the FAA.