Former American Airlines Flight Attendant Arrested for Attempting to Record Minor Passenger in Bathroom
A shocking incident has come to light involving a former American Airlines flight attendant who was arrested for attempting to record a minor female passenger using a bathroom aboard an aircraft. The accused, Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, from Charlotte, North Carolina, is also alleged to have possessed recordings of four additional minor female passengers who used bathrooms aboard the same aircraft. Thompson has been charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor.
The deeply disturbing conduct alleged in this case has raised concerns about the safety and security of children when they travel. U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy expressed his dismay, stating, “Mr. Thompson allegedly used his position to prey on and surreptitiously record innocent children, including unaccompanied minors, while in a vulnerable state aboard flights he was working.”
The incident took place on September 2, 2023, during an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston. Prosecutors claim that Thompson approached a 14-year-old girl who got up to use the main cabin lavatory near her seat. He allegedly convinced her that the first-class lavatory was unoccupied and escorted her towards it. However, before she entered, Thompson told her that he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat in the lavatory was broken. He briefly entered the lavatory and then exited.
Upon entering the lavatory, the minor victim noticed red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid. These stickers indicated that the catering equipment was inoperative and needed to be removed from service. In addition, someone had handwritten “seat broken” on one of the stickers using black ink. Charging documents suggest that Thompson had concealed his iPhone beneath these stickers to record a video. The young girl used her phone to capture a picture of the red stickers and the concealed iPhone before leaving the lavatory. Thompson allegedly re-entered the lavatory immediately after she exited.
The victim promptly informed her parents about what she had witnessed and showed them the picture she had taken. Her parents reported the matter to other flight attendants, who then informed the pilot. The pilot, in turn, notified law enforcement. The girl’s father confronted Thompson, who locked himself in the lavatory with his iPhone for several minutes before the flight’s descent.
Upon arrival at Boston’s Logan Airport, law enforcement noticed that Thompson’s iPhone may have been restored to factory settings. A subsequent search of Thompson’s suitcase revealed 11 “inoperative catering equipment” stickers. Further investigation into Thompson’s iCloud account uncovered four additional instances between January and August 2023 where he had recorded minors using the lavatory on an aircraft. The victims in these recordings were seven, nine, 11, and 14 years old at the time. Shockingly, over 50 images of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor were also discovered in Thompson’s iCloud. These images included photos taken while the minor victim was seated in her seat pre-flight and close-ups of her face while sleeping.
Jodi Cohen of the FBI expressed her disgust at Thompson’s alleged actions, stating, “What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful, and we believe, calculated, given that this alleged conduct occurred on at least five flights.”
In response to the incident, American Airlines released a statement emphasizing their commitment to passenger safety and cooperation with law enforcement. They stated, “We take these allegations very seriously. They don’t reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people. We have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation as there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team.”
This disturbing incident serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and awareness when it comes to the safety of children, even in seemingly secure environments like airplanes. It is crucial for parents and guardians to educate their children about personal safety and to report any suspicious behavior immediately. Airlines must also continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of their passengers, implementing stringent measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.