A passenger who allegedly groped and punched flight attendants on a Frontier Airlines flight has been charged with three counts of battery, multiple news outlets have reported.
The incident took place this weekend on a flight from from Philadelphia to Miami. Cellphone video taken by passengers show a seemingly drunk Maxwell Wilkinson Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, yelling at passengers and crew members, bragging about his parents’ wealth.
“You guys f***ing suck!” Berry can be heard shouting in a video clip that has since gone viral. “My parents are worth more than two million god d*mn dollars!”
Frontier passenger allegedly touched 2 flight attendants breasts, then screamed his parents are worth $2 million, before punching a flight attendant. Frontier suspended the crew for duct taping the passenger to his seat as they landed in Miami. 22 yr old Max Berry is in custody. pic.twitter.com/4xS9Rwvafx
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) August 3, 2021
According to reports, Berry punched a flight attendant in the face after being told to calm. He also reportedly groped the breasts of two other flight attendants.
In a tweet that now seems to have been deleted, Berry himself commented on the video showing his antics, saying, “This will forever be the most dehumanizing experience in my entire life.”
“Many people laughed and ridiculed me as I was mistreated by staff of a PROFESSIONAL airline,” he wrote. “Just to make matters worth this has gone ‘viral’ on the internet and will never disappear. My life will never be [the same].”
Another video shows Berry duct-taped to his seat as he calls out for help from other passengers, who laugh and mock him in response.
#frontier #frontierairlines crazy it happened right beside, me it’s crazy out here pic.twitter.com/YdjURlSb5p
— k9spams (@k9spams) August 3, 2021
Miami-Dade Police charged Berry with three misdemeanor counts of battery. The Miami Herald reported that Berry had been drinking (duh).
In May of this year, Berry graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in finance economics with a minor in psychology. He received a “Fraternity and Sorority Values in Action award” for “being a perfect role model and for leading the fight to dismantle fraternity stereotypes,” according to the Conan Daily.
“Flight Attendants have faced an onslaught of disruptions on our flights this year. The situation on Frontier this weekend is one of the worst examples,” the statement from Frontier Airlines read. “A drunk and irate passenger verbally, physically, and sexually assaulted multiple members of the crew. When he refused to comply after multiple attempts to de-escalate, the crew was forced to restrain the passenger with the tools available to them onboard.”
The crew is on paid leave pending an investigation.
