Authorities caught and fined a man after he allegedly urinated in a cup next to passengers mid-flight, according to a report Thursday.
The incident happened last December at Sydney Airport during a deplaning delay aboard an Air New Zealand flight, according to the New Zealand news outlet, Stuff. The 53-year-old man, whom police did not identify, was only fined AU$600 ($394.96 USD) by the Australian Federal Police on Thursday at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, the outlet reported.
Coming in for landing 🛬 pic.twitter.com/AYxGWojBK4
— Air New Zealand (@FlyAirNZ) March 19, 2024
The man was seated next to a mother and daughter, who witnessed the entire event, the outlet reported. The mother, Holly, was flying with her 15-year-old daughter from Auckland to Sydney. They sat in the middle and aisle seats, and the 53-year-old man sat in the window seat, according to the outlet.
“We heard him do it. There was no mistaking what the sound was and I just looked straight at my daughter and my daughter looked straight at me. It was very obvious what was happening,” Holly told Stuff.
Holly told the outlet that the plane was stuck on the tarmac for nearly 20 minutes as it waited for an available gate to deplane the passengers. (RELATED: ‘Bullsh*t’: ‘Yellowstone’ Actor Says He Was ‘Kicked Off’ Plane For Refusing To Sit Next To Masked Passenger)
“So, yeah, he pulled his naked penis out next to us at least three times,” she said.
Holly and her daughter retreated to the back of the plane to get away from the urinating man, who was reportedly intoxicated.
“And because I guess we had moved he then got up after us and was carrying another full cup. I guess his intention was to pour it out in the toilet,” Holly explained. “Then as he was walking, he was obviously quite drunk by this point, he spilled a good amount of his urine onto the flight attendant at the end of the plane as well, because he tripped.”
Holly told Stuff that she informed the crew of the situation and that the police were called. This, in turn, delayed the deplaning of the plane further, according to the outlet.
After the incident, Holly submitted a complaint to Air New Zealand, but was told compensation was not an option, the outlet reported. Instead, they sent her a gift basket, according to Stuff. Holly claims her daughter is no longer comfortable flying alone.