ROMULUS, Mich. – A 21-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting the stranger who sat next to him on a flight to Detroit Metro Airport.
Officials said Randal Wetzel, 21, sat next to a woman on a United Airlines flight from Dulles, Virginia, to Detroit on July 1, 2024.
A criminal complaint says that Wetzel was vaping on the plane. Before takeoff, he spoke to the woman, and right after the plane took off, he put his hand on her thigh below her shorts, according to officials.
The woman said she began watching a movie to end her conversation with Wetzel, but he asked if he could watch with her. He laid his head on her shoulder and chest and rubbed her leg, the criminal complaint says.
He began touching the woman in inappropriate places, and she was afraid and remained frozen in her seat, officials said.
When Wetzel asked the woman if he could kiss her, she said that would be a bad idea because they were on an airplane full of people. He kissed her for multiple seconds until she pushed him away, according to the complaint.
Wetzel asked if he could kiss the woman again, and she ignored him. He kissed her again and laid his head in her lap while rubbing her leg and thigh, authorities said.
The woman said Wetzel purposely touched her through her shorts, so she told him to stop. He tried to put his hand inside her shorts, and she told him to stop, officials said.
He continued to rub her leg and thigh, the woman said.
She mouthed “help” to a woman sitting in the row behind her, and that woman called the flight crew over. Wetzel was moved to the back of the plane.
Members of the flight crew confirmed Wetzel had been lying on the woman.
Police spoke to Wetzel, the woman, and the witness after the flight landed.
The witness told police that she had seen Wetzel’s head on the woman’s chest.
Wetzel initially told police that the woman had agreed to kiss him, but later admitted that she had made an excuse not to do so. He told them he “could tell she wanted it,” so he did it anyway, according to the complaint.
Wetzel also denied touching the woman inappropriately through her shorts, but later admitted to doing it, police said.
He also admitted to trying to put his hand inside the woman’s shorts, according to officers.
Wetzel said he was not surprised to see police after the flight.
The criminal complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Wetzel knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the woman without her permission.