Flight Attendant Recorded Girl, 14, in Bathroom: Family

Police removed flight attendant from American Airlines flight on Sept. 2; FBI investigating
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 19, 2023 10:05 AM CDT
Updated Sep 23, 2023 3:30 PM CDT
Family: Flight Attendant Recorded Teen in Bathroom
The camera lenses on the iPhone 15 Plus phone is shown during an announcement of new products on the Apple campus in Cupertino, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The family of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly discovered an iPhone taped to the back of a toilet seat on a recent flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston said they believe she was targeted by a member of the crew, per the AP. During American Airlines Flight 1441 on Sept. 2, the girl was told by a male member of the crew to use the first-class bathroom. The crew member entered just before the teen, told her the seat was broken but not to worry about it, and then reentered the bathroom after she left, her family said in a written statement. After using the toilet, the girl realized that a largely obscured iPhone had been affixed to the back of the toilet seat, apparently to record her. She took a picture of this with her own phone before leaving the bathroom.

"These events have left our daughter—and entire family—shocked and profoundly disturbed," the family wrote in a statement. Paul Llewellyn, a lawyer representing the family, said they have not yet filed a lawsuit. Law enforcement officers met the plane at the gate after it landed. Massachusetts State Police escorted a flight attendant off the plane. State police later deferred to the FBI as the primary investigating agency because the episode happened in the air, where the FBI has jurisdiction. An email to the FBI on Monday was not immediately returned. American Airlines said in a statement after the incident that officials at the airline "take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities."

(More American Airlines stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X