A 43-year-old Belgian man has been sentenced in the US to ten months in prison for severe misconduct on a flight to Switzerland, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. He groped a flight attendant, shouted death threats at staff and attempted to storm the cockpit.
A federal court in New Jersey had sentenced 43-year-old Jan Daeninck to ten months in prison on 1 June and ordered him to pay more than $73,000 (approximately €63,300) in damages, the US Department of Justice stated. He will also be subject to one year of supervised release, HLN reported.
The incident occurred on 31 March 2024 on board Swiss flight LX19 from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, United States, to Zurich, Switzerland, on an Airbus A330.
Daeninck was travelling in business class, but suddenly left his seat shortly after take-off. He approached a flight attendant, grabbed the woman by the breasts, shook her violently and shouted in her face.
After the woman managed to break free, the Belgian allegedly ran toward the cockpit and repeatedly kicked the reinforced flight deck door in an apparent attempt to gain entry. When a male flight attendant intervened, Daeninck punched and kicked him, striking him in the head and upper body.
The rest of the cabin crew came to their aid and managed to wrestle the aggressive passenger to the floor. The man continued to kick wildly, spat at the crew and shouted death threats at them.
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The pilot then aborted the transatlantic flight and returned the aircraft to Newark, where the man was immediately arrested.
Daeninck initially faced 20 years in prison in the US. However, after pleading guilty to assaulting the cabin crew in court, the New Jersey judge sentenced him to ten months' imprisonment and a one-year suspended sentence. He must also pay $73,000 in compensation to the crew members.
"The defendant's actions threatened the safety and security of innocent passengers, crew members, and the flight itself," said prosecutor Robert Frazer following the sentencing, Aviation24 reported.
The FBI's Newark Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Port Authority Police Department.
