A deputy U.S. Marshal is accused of sexually assaulting a passenger on a transatlantic flight to London. The incident occurred while he was traveling to London as one of two deputies responsible for extraditing a criminal defendant. The man is currently in custody after a woman complained that she had been unwillingly assaulted during a Delta Air Lines flight from New York JFK to London Heathrow.
Delta confirmed the arrest and stated, “Due to unruly passenger behavior while in flight, Delta Flight 1, JFK to London-Heathrow was met by local law enforcement upon landing and Delta is cooperating with their investigation.” Law enforcement sources revealed that the marshal and his colleague were consuming alcohol during the flight. However, the other man has since been sent back to New York and is not expected to face any charges.
The London Metropolitan Police reported that they had received reports from staff onboard the flight that a passenger was disruptive and had sexually assaulted other passengers and crew. The suspect was arrested upon arrival in London on charges of sexual assault.
The U.S. Marshals Service responded to the incident by confirming that they were aware of the employee’s alleged misconduct while intoxicated on the inbound flight from New York City. They stated, “The U.S. Marshals Service takes seriously any allegations of misconduct by its employees. The alleged actions of the employees do not reflect the professionalism of the thousands of employees of the USMS or its core values.”
The New York Times reported that incidents of “unruly behavior” increased during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, particularly due to the frustration with being forced to wear a mask to reduce the spread of the virus. The number of disruptive midair episodes peaked in 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the number of incidents fell after the mask mandate was removed. In 2022, the number fell to 2,455 and appears to have fallen further in 2023, with 1,931 incidents so far, according to FAA statistics.
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal.
