Man accused of punching airline passenger who was sleeping faces assault charges

A man faces a felony assault charge after an unprovoked attack on a fellow passenger who was sleeping during a cross-country flight this week, according to authorities.

An FBI agent said Everett Chad Nelson punched the other man repeatedly in the face and head, leaving the man bleeding, before another passenger pulled him off the victim.

The attack on a flight Monday from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia lasted about a minute.

According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson left his seat in the rear of the plane and used a lavatory near the front before attacking the other man, who suffered bruises around his eyes and a gash on the nose. Blood was splattered on the sleeves of Nelson’s windbreaker.

The agent said Nelson was moved to a seat near the front of the plane and was watched by the passenger who had stopped the assault. There was no indication that Nelson knew the victim, who was not identified.

The public defender listed as Nelson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal magistrate ruled that Nelson should be held in custody until trial, which is scheduled for Dec. 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. The magistrate cited the evidence against Nelson and his history of lacking stable employment and residence.

There have been more than 1,700 reports of unruly passengers on planes this year, on pace for an increase in the number of incidents last year. Reports of unruly passengers spiked in 2021 and, although declining the next two years, have remained higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.