Elderly Passenger Brutally Beaten Mid-Flight After Woman Snaps on American Airlines Plane

An 82-year-old Florida man says a routine American Airlines flight turned into a terrifying nightmare when a woman sitting next to him allegedly snapped without warning and violently attacked him in the middle of the flight.

Now, the elderly passenger is suing the airline, claiming the crew ignored multiple warning signs before the brutal assault left him with serious head and brain injuries.

According to the federal lawsuit, Walter Loughney boarded American Airlines Flight 2485 on May 16, 2024, traveling from Palm Beach International Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Loughney, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, says the chaos started almost immediately after 37-year-old Allisen Elizabeth Werner boarded the aircraft and sat beside him in seat 18E.

The lawsuit claims Werner began acting strangely before the plane even took off, allegedly singing loudly and “bellowing to herself” in a way that alarmed nearby passengers.

Loughney says he became deeply uncomfortable and repeatedly asked flight attendants if either he or Werner could be moved to another seat.

But according to the complaint, crew members allegedly brushed off his concerns and told him there were no open seats available.

The lawsuit argues airline employees “knew or should have known” Werner could become dangerous but failed to take any proactive action.

Then, while the plane was in the air, the situation allegedly exploded into violence.

According to the complaint, Werner suddenly turned toward the elderly passenger and began repeatedly punching him.

The lawsuit says Loughney suffered severe injuries, including trauma to his head and brain.

Even more disturbing, the complaint alleges a flight attendant stood just feet away during the attack and failed to intervene.

“While Werner beat [Loughney], an American flight attendant stood within arm’s reach,” the lawsuit states. “Said flight attendant watched the assault and battery and did not take action to otherwise defuse or intervene.”

After the plane landed in Charlotte, police boarded the aircraft and removed Werner.

Federal prosecutors later charged her with two counts of assault connected to the alleged attack. Court records show the charges are still pending.

According to reports, Werner later failed to appear for a scheduled court date and was declared a fugitive.

The lawsuit also points to another disturbing incident involving Werner just months later.

In August 2024, Werner was arrested at the annual Burning Man festival after allegedly attacking another attendee with a nitrous oxide canister.

Authorities claimed she also kicked and punched responding police officers during that incident.

Loughney’s lawsuit accuses American Airlines of allowing “a full systematic breakdown” onboard the aircraft and failing to protect him despite obvious warning signs.

The complaint says the attack left him not only physically injured, but emotionally traumatized and now fearful of flying.

According to the lawsuit, he suffered “mental anguish and emotional distress, feelings of violation, and ongoing anxiety regarding air travel,” along with severe physical injuries, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.

The suit also argues airlines have long known about the growing dangers of violent passenger incidents onboard flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration has already received hundreds of reports involving unruly passengers in 2026 alone, though numbers remain below the massive spike seen during 2021.

Loughney is now seeking financial damages from American Airlines, which reportedly has several weeks to formally respond to the lawsuit.