A newly released photo shows how an iPhone was taped to the lid of the toilet of an American Airlines flight. The camera may have captured a 14-year-old girl using a bathroom on the plane. The shocked parents of the minor girl said they did not immediately realise that the phone could have been placed by a male flight attendant during a September 2 trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston. However, now they believe it was indeed the flight attendant who carried out the act.
“I think she’s really angry, like we are, that something like this could happen,” the girl’s father said. “I think there’s a real feeling of violation. I think as a teenage girl she’s a little bit embarrassed that something so intimate as going to the bathroom would be filmed this way.”
What does the photo show?
According to a photo taken by the teen and published by New York Post, the iPhone appears to be taped to the lid of the toilet. One can see “Inoperative Catering Equipment” and “Remove From Service” printed on the red and white tape. There was also a note written in marker that said “Seat Broken.” The top of the iPhone, which was upside down, was uncovered, revealing that either the camera or the flashlight was on.
The girl’s family said that she was waiting to use the bathroom when a male flight attendant told her the first-class restroom was empty, and led her there. Another passenger exited the bathroom, following which the flight attendant told the girl he needed to use the lavatory to wash his hands. The girl then entered and used the bathroom, before noticing the iPhone. The man is believed to be in his 30s.
{{/usCountry}}The girl’s family said that she was waiting to use the bathroom when a male flight attendant told her the first-class restroom was empty, and led her there. Another passenger exited the bathroom, following which the flight attendant told the girl he needed to use the lavatory to wash his hands. The girl then entered and used the bathroom, before noticing the iPhone. The man is believed to be in his 30s.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s something you never considered before, and it was just really shocking,” her mother said. The mother immediately warned other passengers against using the restroom, but upon checking, she found that the tape and iPhone were gone.
The girl’s father showed the photo to all four flight attendants, including the man they suspected. “I remember seeing the male flight attendant’s face just go totally white,” the father recalled. He said he did not see the man throughout their journey after that.
Later, a female flight attendant apologised to the family and expressed her contempt. While Massachusetts State Police responded to the plane after it landed, federal authorities are now handling the case, according to state troopers.