A 45-year-old man flying from Morocco to John F. Kennedy Airport was arrested yesterday after a female passenger accused him of fondling her while she slept next to him during their flight.
The Daily News reports that Thami Drissi, a Cisco Systems engineer from Morocco, put his hand down his female seatmate's blouse, touched her breast, and tried to put his hand down her pants, according to Federal Air Marshal Lynn Lauzier. Drissi was on a Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca; he was ultimately headed to a conference in Las Vegas, but was arrested at JFK after the alleged victim, who was "“visibly upset and crying," reported him to authorities.
Drissi, who is married and has two young children, is being held in jail until his brother can post bail. He reportedly told authorities he only moved the woman's head when she fell asleep on his shoulder.
In 2012, a Queens man was arrested after he allegedly fondled a male passenger on a JetBlue flight to JFK. He told authorities he "crossed a boundary," and was put under house arrest. Three other men were found guilty of molesting women on various flights to Newark.
