United passenger says airline made her sit beside man accused of masturbating during flight

A woman who reported a man masturbating while staring at her during a flight says she was forced to sit back beside him before he was allowed to walk free.

The 25-year-old paediatric crisis therapist claims that she alerted crew after noticing the man beside her pleasuring himself during a September 3 United Express flight from Rochester in New York to Newark in New Jersey.

She said the man, aged about 35 to 40, was “pretty normal looking” and “unassuming”, wearing hiking pants and a t-shirt.

The woman told NBC News that she immediately moved away from him and reported what had happened to the crew.

She said flight attendants allowed her to stand for much of the roughly hour-long flight.

But as the plane prepared to land, she claimed she was told to return to her original seat because there were no other seats available.

“On multiple instances, I said I feel uncomfortable doing that,” she told NBC.

The woman said she was told she would only have to sit beside the man for about five minutes while the plane landed.