Ivan Lopez Jr: Woman on United Airlines flight wakes up to see man FONDLING her breast

Lopez told the FBI that he wanted to get the woman’s attention by poking her on her right shoulder

PUBLISHED JAN 21, 2022

A woman traveling on a United Airlines flight fell asleep during her journey. However, she woke up in absolute horror. As she opened her eyes, she found the passenger seated next to her fondling her breast.

Federal officials say that the woman was traveling from Las Vegas to Washington, and during this journey, she fell asleep. When she awoke, she found Ivan Lopez Jr, 26, 'rubbing her right breast'. She instantly yelled, "Get away from me.”

American Airlines staff duct tape boy, 13, to his seat for allegedly trying to kick open window

Lopez made his way to the back of the plane after this and confessed to a flight attendant that he had 'sexually assaulted' the female passenger who was seated next to him. Immediately, the flight attendant shifted Lopez and moved him from 12th row to the 21st to get him as far away as possible from the female passenger. In the official statement released, it says, "According to court documents, it is alleged that Lopez was a passenger on a commercial flight from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport on December 24, 2021."

The statement continues further as, "During the flight, the passenger seated next to Lopez fell asleep. The indictment alleges that she awoke to Lopez repeatedly rubbing her right breast. When the passenger opened her eyes, she allegedly observed Lopez leaning over her and his right hand was placed on her right breast. The passenger allegedly yelled at Lopez and he moved to the back of the aircraft, where he allegedly admitted to a flight attendant that he sexually assaulted the woman.”

Charges of abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft are faced by Lopez Jr. If convicted, he would be looking at two years of jail. In the affidavit, the woman told an FBI agent that Lopez touched her for almost 10 seconds before she yelled. According to her, she believes that this physical contact was in no way 'accidental'. One of the flight attendants said, Lopez admitted to groping the female passenger seated next to him and he further stated that he thought he was in trouble which caused him to apologize.

Lopez told the FBI that he wanted to get the woman’s attention by poking her on her right shoulder, so that he could ask her what she was listening to through her headphones, also claiming that turbulence caused him to ‘accidentally’ touch her breast as stated in the affidavit. The airline company is yet to comment.