The attorney for the family of a teen girl who allegedly discovered a camera in a bathroom aboard a Boston-bound aircraft earlier this month is speaking out about the "outrageous act."
Attorney Paul T. Llewellyn told NBC10 Boston in a statement Sunday night that "it is shocking that a sexual predator could brazenly prey on a minor while she used the bathroom on a flight."
Llewellyn also released a statement on behalf of the family he's representing, in which they claim their 14-year-old daughter was "targeted and victimized by a child predator who filmed her while using the bathroom" aboard American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston on Sept. 2.
"There is no doubt in our minds this was perpetrated by the lone male flight attendant on board, who directed her to use the first-class bathroom from coach, entered just before her 'to wash his hands' - then telling her the seat was broken and 'not to worry about it' - and reentering directly after she left," the family detailed in their statement. "This sequence of events has been corroborated by other passengers on board."
Officials have previously described the incident as a "potential criminal act" and "possible security issue," but passengers aboard the American Airlines flight told local media that a woman reported her teenage daughter noticed the camera in the first-class lavatory.
Massachusetts State Police initially reported to WSOC-TV in North Carolina that the episode involved a juvenile, a flight attendant and a cell phone. But State Police later deferred to the FBI as the primary investigating agency because the episode happened in the air, where the FBI has jurisdiction.
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Law enforcement officers met the American Airlines passenger jet at the gate when it landed following the complaint, and state police escorted a flight attendant from the plane.
"After using the toilet our daughter realized a largely obscured iPhone had been affixed to the back of the toilet seat to record her, and courageously took a picture of this with her own phone. Very specific features on the hidden phone perfectly matched the one subsequently recovered from the flight attendant by law enforcement, and airline representatives confirmed the official stickers used to secure and hide the phone would not have been accessible to anyone other than crew," the family revealed, with their attorney providing a photo of the alleged bathroom camera."
The family says their daughter, and all of them, are "shocked and profoundly disturbed" by what happened.
"It is hard to fathom that a flight attendant - charged with ensuring our safety and security, and to whom the flying public is legally bound to obey – appears to have targeted and exploited our child in obtaining child pornography during a flight. That someone like this was allowed to be in that position of trust - and could follow through with such reckless behavior unchecked - should shock every parent," the family said, adding they are immensely grateful to state police who met them upon the plane's landing in Boston, and to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office who they say are continuing to investigate this crime. "It is our sincerest hope that through these efforts nothing like this can ever be allowed again.”
An FBI spokesperson told NBC10 Boston that the agency had no comment on Sunday, again only confirming that they responded to the incident earlier this month.
American Airlines also declined to comment Sunday night, referring any inquiries back to the FBI.
When the incident happened, the airline released a statement at the time, saying, "We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
