United Airlines Passenger Accused Of Groping Teenage Girl During Flight

A man was charged Thursday for allegedly groping a teenage girl seated next to him on United Airlines Flight UA1695, according to Fox News. The teenager was reportedly asleep during the incident, but she immediately notified the flight crew of the man's behavior and was relocated to a new seat.

The teenage girl alerted her parents to the situation upon landing at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. However, United Airlines reportedly let the man walk free following the incident. The FBI was then contacted by the teenager's mother, but not United Airlines.

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A representative of United Airlines issued a statement Thursday to International Business Times on the incident with the unaccompanied minor. "The safety and security of our customers is our top priority. We take these allegations seriously and continue to work closely with the proper authorities as part of their review," the airline said.

From a lineup of photos presented by the FBI, the girl was able to identify her assaulter as 28-year-old Vijakumar Krishnappa. Krishnappa was arrested for his alleged misconduct. Alongside his $50,000 bond upon release, Krishnappa was also informed that he is forbidden from attempting to contact the teenage girl.

The Consumerist obtained a federal complaint that provided details of the man's alleged actions during the July 23 the incident. The complaint claimed that Krishnappa removed his hand from her thigh when the girl woke up. When she fell asleep again, the complaint stated that the man proceeded to "put his hand on her groin and inner thigh, and began rubbing the Victim through her clothing." He also allegedly attempted to slide his hand down her pants.

Johnny McCray, the teenager's lawyer, spoke with ABC News Wednesday about how his client's situation was handled by United Airlines employees on flight UA1695. "She was horrified. It's affected her ability to sleep and concentrate," he said. He also believes the airlines' decision to improperly handle the situation is in violation of the company's policy, which instructs employees to alert the authorities to all incidents of misconduct.

Sexual assaults occur often on airline flights, but they aren't heavily reported on by news media. However, The Huffington Post reported in 2016 that "sexual assault between passengers happens perhaps more frequently than you think, sometimes to children." The digital news publication added that flight attendants "probably won’t make a big show about it" upon being alerted. ​

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United Airlines claims to boast a strict unaccompanied minor program, which reportedly prevented a Canadian teenager from boarding a flight home from a Connecticut airport Tuesday. The airline claims in the program's policy that it's designed to provide parents with "peace of mind" as their children fly solo, which requires parents to pay forward an additional $150 for each direction traveled to "cover the extra handling required when children travel alone." A male flight attendant who was first alerted to the girl's incident reportedly said "that's not cool" before finding her new seating arrangements, according to ABC News.

According to Condé Nast Traveler, sexual assault isn't within federal law enforcement's jurisdiction. Therefore, complaints are often handled by the FBI because it reportedly has jurisdiction over crimes committed in U.S. airspace. An October 2016 report from the New York Times cited an incident in the 1980s involving President Donald Trump, who allegedly groped a woman in-flight. Trump denied all allegations.

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