There was a big gap in the initial story concerning the American Airlines flight attendant who was arrested for allegedly positioning a camera inside the lavatory before a teenage girl used it. Now we have some more details.
Claim: American Airlines Pervert Flight Attendant Taped Cell Phone Camera To Toilet In Order To Capture Images Of Teenage Girl
The family of a teenage girl has filled in more details concerning what may have transpired onboard an American Airlines flight to Boston that prompted an FBI investigation and now potential legal action against AA.
Per the family attorney, a 14-year-old girl rose to use the lavatory in economy class. There was a line. A male flight attendant approached her and told her she could use the first class lavatory, but he needed to wash his hands first. He remained in the lavatory for approximately one minute. Stepping out of the lavatory, he told her that the toilet seat was broken (not the toilet itself).
When she entered the lavatory, she purportedly observed red tape over the toilet seat, but then noticed a mobile camera taped on the seat. The camera (flash) light was on, suggesting it was recording. She snapped a picture of it (above, released by Lewis and Llewellyn LLP).
Upon stepping out of the lavatory, the same flight attendant went back in and came out moments later.
The girl returned to her seat and told her mother what happened. Her mother then stopped another passenger from entering the first class lavatory, warning:
“Don’t go in there. My daughter’s just been in there, there’s a camera in there.”
Disturbingly, the family reached out to American Airlines and claims it has heard nothing back. Now the family is suing. Here’s a statement from their attorney, Paul Llewellyn:
“On September 2nd, while on American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston, our 14-year-old daughter was targeted and victimized by a child predator who filmed her while using the bathroom.
“There is no doubt in our minds this was perpetrated by the lone male flight attendant on board, who directed her to use the first-class bathroom from coach, entered just before her ‘to wash his hands’—then telling her the seat was broken and ‘not to worry about it’—and reentering directly after she left.
“This sequence of events has been corroborated by other passengers on board. After using the toilet our daughter realized a largely obscured iPhone had been affixed to the back of the toilet seat to record her, and courageously took a picture of this with her own phone. Very specific features on the hidden phone perfectly matched the one subsequently recovered from the flight attendant by law enforcement, and airline representatives confirmed the official stickers used to secure and hide the phone would not have been accessible to anyone other than crew.
“These events have left our daughter—and the entire family—shocked and profoundly disturbed. It is hard to fathom that a flight attendant—charged with ensuring our safety and security, and to whom the flying public is legally bound to obey—appears to have targeted and exploited our child in obtaining child pornography during a flight. That someone like this was allowed to be in that position of trust—and could follow through with such reckless behavior unchecked—should shock every parent.
“We are immensely grateful to the Massachusetts State Police who met us upon landing, and to the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office who continue to investigate this crime. It is our sincerest hope that through these efforts nothing like this can ever be allowed again.”
It does not sound like good news for the flight attendant. Kudos to the 14-year-old for snapping the picture above.
The original story, which was published on September 5, 2023, appears below.
Was Pervert American Airlines Flight Attendant Really This Stupid?
The FBI is investigating an American Airlines flight in which a hidden camera was purportedly placed in a lavatory by a flight attendant in order to surreptitiously record a juvenile female. Could a flight attendant really be that stupid?
Did A Pervert American Airlines Flight Attendant Place A Camera In The Lavatory To Record Minor?
Let me be clear at the start that details are still emerging from this case. Our fact pattern is incomplete, yet the allegations are damning. Our discussion may be more theoretical at this point, but something happened onboard. Let’s review what we know:
- The incident occurred on AA1441 from Charlotte (CLT) to Boston (BOS) on Saturday, September 2, 2023
- According to a passenger witness, a “juvenile” girl rose to use the first class lavatory
- A male flight attendant stopped her, saying, “Hey, hold on just a second. We’re about to start collecting trash so I’m going to wash my hands.”
- He popped in, then popped out
- She used the lavatory, then returned to her seat
- The flight attendant quickly went into the lavatory once again and quickly emerged
- Next, the girl’s mom came “running up to the bathroom to stop another person from going in”
- She stopped another woman from going in, warning her there was a camera in there
- Police were notified and boarded the aircraft in Boston (the FBI will handle his matter since it purportedly occurred in the air)
It does not appear that any arrests have been made yet. American Airlines released the following vague statement:
American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte (CLT) to Boston (BOS) was met by law enforcement upon arrival. We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.
The FBI statement was even shorter:
FBI Boston responded along with the Massachusetts State Police. We have no additional information to provide at this time.
This story resonates with me because there was a reprobate pervert named Rogelio Gallardo, a ceramics teacher at my high school, who placed a hidden camera in the restroom of his classroom to record girls. He was caught, arrested, and sent to prison.
As a father with a daughter myself, I am repulsed at such behavior and hope that if true, the perpetrator will be held accountable.
It looks bad for the flight attendant. While it could be that the juvenile girl was mistaken or made the whole thing up, the fact that witnesses saw him go in and out of the lavatory before she used it is quite concerning.
CONCLUSION
The FBI is investigating an incident that allegedly took place on an American Airlines flight to Boston in which a minor was secretly photographed in the lavatory. A flight attendant is the main suspect.
Finally, a question. If you’re hiding a camera in the lavatory, where do you hide it? A spy cam I guess could be tucked away anywhere, but a mobile phone camera? Seems pretty impossible unless a cabinet under the sink was opened with the lens sticking out. Who knows…
But I hope that if a camera was surreptitiously placed in the lavatory, the perpetrator will be brought to justice.
(H/T: View From The Wing)
“WAS PERVERT AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT REALLY THIS STUPID?”
Yes, perverts gonna pervert
I believe this really happened. Seeing the photo of this gave me a flashback to a trip we flew in 2019 … American Airlines … I have my own details and as I was realizing what seemed to be I told myself I was crazy for thinking it .. and thinking they would think I was crazy for saying anything that so felt so weird about !!
If they are going to accuse him of something despicable and illegal like that, I sure hope they have more evidence then: he went into the lav twice. There are plenty of explanations for something like that.
Exactly. If I was on a jury, just from what I read now, I’d sign off on the not-guilty papers as fast as it took the read the forms. Heck, logically if the FA went into the lav after the child it would be to remove the camera hence no evidence should be there to report or discover. The only way to tie him to the camera would be to find it belongs to hm personally or has his fingerprints/DNA on it.
Matthew, your story is incomplete. Are you aware that the alleged victim snapped a picture of the phone that’s taped to the toilet seat which she eventually showed to her mother? Please learn to include every known facts in your articles.
Please learn to recognize the date this story was published and that your additional fact was not yet public at the time.
Absolutely disturbing!! So did the girl saw the camera and came out to tell her mother? A bathroom on domestic planes is very small so wonder what type of camera this pervert would have that would allow him to record anything. The lens had to have wide angle to be able to get anything. Hope he rota in jail if true.
Disgusting and horrifying if true.
If a phone though, that is highly explainable. Especially if they inspect it and find nothing. Anyone can leave their phone in a lav after a quick hand wash (but who the heck washes their hands before trash collection).
If it was a small camera that is another story. That is clearly malice and the the man should be jailed for life (where he will of course be taken care of in the facility by other inmates in a matter of days). I have to assume that a hidden camera is the case of else I can’t imagine what all the hoopla is about.
Yet still, my questions are this, was it a phone? Was it a hidden spy camera? If a camera did anyone but the girl see it? Did anyone find it?
He reportedly returned to the loo after, what did he retrieve? A phone he possibly just left there and went back to get? Or did they see him remove something else? Where is it?
This has a lot of remaining questions before we banish a life in vigilante court. I will be interested to see the final outcome of what was discovered as it’s really disturbing.
“That is clearly malice and the the man should be jailed for life (where he will of course be taken care of in the facility by other inmates in a matter of days). “
I pointed out to feminists who shrieked about “rape culture” in marches that the USA celebrates rape despite a Constitutional Right prohibiting “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” and homosexual rape would seem to fit that definition quite well. The majority of rape victims are male prison inmates some of whom “deserve it” for an eye-for-an-eye but also political prisoners, victims of racist profiling, white collar crimes, and such. I can think of a few cases that would apply to women, for example, Crystal Mangum made a false rape accusation against white college lacrosse athletes that was zealously prosecuted by Mike Nifong that did harm those innocent young men’s lives. Certainly, if someone deserved “prison justice”, it would be Magnum and Nifong.
While peeping on a plane at a juvenile is wrong, does this merit something worthy of life imprisonment with gang rape? It’s amusing we live in a society where the state or even parents may force a child through “gender adjustment” surgery or teenage girls run around naked in protests but someone peeps at them? They’re worse than axe murderers. The USA is a strange place. Glad we’re so much more rational than the era of the Salem witch trials…
While I suspect, given the vague nature of the report, that it’s not as originally presented, the discovery of a hidden camera, if true, would clearly be a smoking gun. Regardless, more and more it’s looking like the mom might have been a bit unhinged.
Nevertheless, if it does prove to be malice, sorry, in the case of pedophiles, no mercy. They should be sent to the worst possible prisons for life and left to their own devices. I am a compassionate person, until it involves the harm of children.
Billy Hayes who wrote the book “Midnight Express” about his sentencing and escape from a Turkish prison went back decades later to apologize to the Turkish people for how negatively Turkish prisons were portrayed and that the American system is a lot worse. It speaks volumes when someone is saying that the Turkish criminal justice system is more humane than America’s.
It’s understandable that a criminal justice system is highly politicized and sentimental because that’s the nature of politics. Smash-and-Grab a bunch of CVS’s and convenience stores in San Fran and nobody will blink an eye or even charge you. Put a camera in a restroom to peek at some teen girl sitting on a toilet and go to prison for life with state sanctioned gang rape.
All that said, I wish our society did care more about children, particularly boys who are reminded throughout their childhood that they’re members of The Patriarchy and responsible for all the bad things in the world, ignored for scholastic support programs due to their “privilege”, and yet reminded that they’re expected to be the providers and protectors and society.
That’s why travel is so wonderful. It helps take us out of this box we grow up in thinking “The whole universe is this way and ALWAYS has been this way” to see that there are different, perhaps even better ways, of seeing things.
Jail for life? A bit extreme considering murdering a child doesnt get that.
But no he isnt likely to be handled in prison. They get protective custody to prevent that and are typically housed with others of similar crimes, though this depends on the prison.
Did you actually read the facts the cell phone was taped with red tape to the toilet seat did you not see that part duh
Again, it’s important to keep an open mind. Something made the girl of an unknown age think something was wrong. And she told her mother. The mother responded correctly in my opinion. Could there have been a misunderstanding? Sure, and that will now be checked out. In these times, the unimaginable can be the norm.
When the youngest kid was taught stranger danger in school, he became very anxious for several years and everyone was frightful. But we can never discount what they perceive. And it is important to issue apologies when due but press charges when appropriate.
The information released so far is consistent with a hysterical mother who has delusions of grandeur.
A plausible scenario: The FA is going to collect trash and he washes his hands before putting gloves on, rather than putting sticky hands in gloves. He is quick because he is considered. After the girl uses the lavatory, he completes his lavatory tasks such as drying his hands or fixing his necktie.
If there is no hidden camera found, then the accusation is baseless and fantasy. If there is a hidden camera found, then there could be sufficient evidence for prosecution.
Is the mother wanting compensation or AAdvantage miles? What is the basis of her accusation? Just the FA going into the lavatory twice? Or she is a psychic and read his mind?
@ derek
So you say the mother made up all of this for compensation on the spur of the moment? That would be the most unlikely of your projections.
The mother responded to a report from the child. What would you have done if that was your child?
Sorry I can’t respond tonight.
I have read several articles and news reports. None say that the girl complained. Several report that the mother was excited and concerned because the FA went into the lavatory twice.
Maybe the teenager was vaping in the restroom, the mother is accusing the FA , who went back in looking for the vaping cartridge.
Why is it that no other media source reported this incident? I throw the BS flag.
Give it time. The mainstream media follows the blog.
Headline calling the guy a pervert before facts are known is right up mainstream media’s alley!! But even THEY know 99.9% of your blog is BS.
Burn!
The headline is a question, not a declarative statement.
The biggest fake news blogger.
What do you say now, honey?
My guess it’s not true.
A str8 male flight attendant? 1.3% possibility
I’m a professional bug sweeper and self recording hidden cameras are being sold that can be placed anywhere and easily blend in. Some of the cameras are extremely small and with bouble sided tape can be placed quickly. I’m sure the FBI will be able to confirm or debunk the allegations quickly.
It doesn’t sound like this would be something a flight attendant in their right mind would do. Especially in the United States with the severe punishment for sexual crimes.
It just seems like sensational news perhaps used as “clickbait” by the police.
There HAS to be more to this than just an accusation. It’s pretty weird to make up. But the timeline of events as written is that he goes in there, the girl goes in, then he goes back, then the mother intercepts the NEXT person? So it’s not like the mother went in there and found something suspicious. It was an immediate jump to “there’s a camera in there”.
This absolute could be true, and if it is, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out I wouldn’t think. If his prints are on a camera that’s found in the lav, punish the hell outta him.
But unless there’s a camera found or some other smoking gun…you can’t just crucify this guy based on the word of 1 kid.
The teenager told her mother and teenager took a pic of a phone /camera taped to the toilet seat!!!! Later removed. The phone was def found and police asked so was identified later by that young girl. No hysteria. No parent wants this heartache and to talk to the FBI. Male Flight attendant is the one who committed a sick crime.
Very odd that this part of the story was kept hush. Pretty important detail and I can’t imagine it was left out of the police report. Strange. I wonder how that critical piece of information was kept under wraps for two weeks. And why?
@ Stuart
I suspect the police were waiting to see if others may have had a similar experience and had to hold back to determine if the details were consistent.
“Stepping out of the lavatory, he told her that the toilet was broken.” The FA told her the toilet was broken so what exactly was he trying to record there? Someone washing her hands?? And who leaves a flashlight on by the toilet? That’s a crazy story.
The inop sticker signifies that the “Seat is broken” not the toilet….which is probably what he told her. This was to assure it was left in place and not moved but still allowing her to use it. I am completely shocked. As well, to how in the world he thought that no one would notice the phone in their recording. It’s so obvious!
*there
Yes, it makes sense. If all this is true, this guy should go to a specific area of the prison that includes the most dumb criminals in history.
Now that we have additional information (photo), I commend the young lady for having the good sense to document the situation. I also commend the parents for waiting for law enforcement to handle the matter. This is a shocking story.
This is so weird. The phone isn’t even hidden. It is VERY obvious, and it would be even if the light wasn’t on. Also why did he use the “Inoperative” sticker to put it on? Did he really think that she wouldn’t notice the big bright red sticker on the toilet with the phone protruding from it? Also, did he not think that she wouldn’t notice the attention-grabbing sticker saying the toilet was out of order and not use it? That would defeat the purpose of installing his ghetto hidden camera to begin with.
If true, this guy has to be one of the dumbest perverts alive. His attempt to record the young girl is so clumsy and idiotic, it’s hilarious.
It really is stupid – almost makes you wonder if it is a set-up, but at this point it just sounds like stupidity.
The plot thickens indeed. With the FA telling the girl the seat cover had issues, and with the tape and photo, along with other passenger testimony, it’s compelling evidence. If nothing was “wrong” with the seat other than the tape and iphone camera, it will be tough for the FA to justify what else he meant by the warning. I can’t see how it’s a setup.
Unless the reported actions of the FA are unsubstantiated– meaning the parts about directing the girl to the front lav, him going in first to wash his hands, him reporting the seat broken, etc… how could the family manufacture this encounter?
I get that anything is possible, but it seems so improbable.
Again, it did not say that the toilet was broken, only the seat. That’s a huge distinction and obviously was showing her that to avoid her putting the seat down and eliminating the camera ability. So clearly he was implying that she could use it just don’t touch the seat cover. Regardless, stupid as you say, given who the heck would not notice it.
100% agree but again, how in the world he thought nobody would notice a phone there with a flashlight on? He has to be the dumbest person on Earth.
Unless I missed it, who notified the police to meet the plane upon arrival? The flight attendants would have to tell the pilots what was going on.
If the seat was broken, it should have been taped off and the lav door locked with a INOPT sign afixed on door in plain sight. Even using the lav to wash hands is not good policy for pax of any age. This sounds like AA protocol/ inflt procedure wasn’t followed. If there’s physical evidence to backup either child or crew behavior, let the law do it’s job.
.
Incredibly strange. So much about this doesn’t make sense– I’m not saying it didn’t happen, I’m agreeing with others in saying that this event, if true, would be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of someone doing.
One thing I have learned over the past year is that many of those who commit sex offenses do not understand how severe the punishments are prior to their arrest. It’s not the jail time, it’s the registry. Many registrants spend the rest of their lives struggling just to exist, unforgiven by society and their families, and unable to escape their past.
To whom does the phone belong? Should be easy to find out. Case closed.
This shows a double standard against a presumably white FA and an East Asian doctor.
This FA was not arrested.
In contrast, Mohanty, the Boston doctor, was arrested. He was accused of fondling his own genitals under a blanket and the blanket fell, causing him to immediately zip up his pants and clean himself of semen in the lavatory. The teen who allegedly was the only witness moved to another seat where she said that everything was ok, when asked if everything was ok. There was no complaint to her grandparents (on the flight at the time) or the FA. There was no complaint to the airline until 6 weeks later. The FBI interviewed passengers and found zero witnesses. There are no photos, unlike with the AA FA in this story.
This FA should go to federal prison for 5 years. The attorney is on a money grab to get money from AA. If there is justice, this should fail because the teen saw the camera and could have easily avoided it. Camera setup is also not one of the FA’s assigned duties. AA should pay zero. The FA should go to prison. The plaintiff’s attorneys should get zero.
The family should have all their AAdvantage miles seized and their accounts closed if they sue AA. That would be a true enhancement.
Mohanty was arrested more than a year after the complaint was filed. It seems a bit quick to be calling this a double standard based on the FA not being arrested yet– this complaint was only filed about 2 weeks ago.
I don’t understand how you can argue in the same paragraph that you feel that an AA FA has committed a crime so severe that he should be imprisoned for 5 years, but that the victim of this crime is not justified in seeking legal recourse for such a horrible act.
[whether] “the victim of this crime is not justified in seeking legal recourse for such a horrible act.”
This assumes damages AND liability by AA. As Derek points out, there doesn’t appear to be damages in that (fortunately), the teen found out about the danger and ultimately alerted her parent and authorities. The employment history of the FA and AA corporate policies would determine if AA is liable but that’s probably a long shot. The fact the family has retained a lawyer would suggest they’re out to fish for damages from AA.
I reread the above and want to clarify that it appears that the 14 year old girl DID use the toilet and then noticed the iphone camera afterwards meaning that photos were taken. Hence, there are officially damages (although mitigated, hopefully, that the photos were never released). Therefore, there are damages.
EVeryone who flies AA is damaged.
He was gay! Y’all know that right?
The scumbag family is milking AA.
Let’s make it more obvious:
Flash light was on intentionally!!
Beautiful red stickers next to camera light!!
Anyone familiar with AA operations enough to confirm if those red inop stickers are standard company issued? If not, it might be a stunt. I only ask with doubt because the setup looks so obvious the FA would have to be a complete moron to think he could get away with it. Then again most criminals are morons…
I find the whole incident weird, simply because, first why haven’t the FA been arrested. And if the phone, camera etc. has been so called recovered by authorities, it would have been simple enough to recover, who the phone belonged to, if there were incriminating evidence in the phone such as photos, video anything that would have proven ownership, motive and so on. None of this has seemed to have been mentioned or spoken of. And finally if the FA was a perv as being accused. His phone, home and or other personal items would have been ripe with other attempts at getting his rocks off. To me it’s a lot of vagueness to this article, that for whatever reason should be very easily verified and proven one way or another. Being that no one as yet that I’ve heard about, has been arrested. To me speaks volumes.