Woman Says She Was Sexually Assaulted On A Spirit Airlines Flight

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Woman Says She Was Sexually Assaulted On A Spirit Airlines Flight

A Michigan woman’s shocking story about being sexually assaulted on a Spirit Airlines flight is making headlines. Tia Jackson took to Facebook to gain attention to her story after she says a man pleasured himself next to her on a flight and touched her inappropriately.

The 22-year-old said she was on a 7 a.m. flight to Detroit from Atlanta, Georgia when the incident happened. She told PEOPLE she was going in and out of sleep — as the plane was descending — when she felt the hand of the man sitting beside her caressing her thigh.

“I could feel him being real jittery. He kept moving. I thought he was cold. He took off his coat, sat it across his lap — and I’m thinking he was cold, so I’m not paying attention,” Jackson says.

“Next thing you know, I felt his hand on my thigh,” Jackson alleges.

Jackson initially thought the touching was a mistake until the pervy passenger boldly PUT HIS HANDS IN HER PANTS.

“When he noticed I moved away, he slid his hands in my pants and then he touched my thigh and then part of my butt,” Jackson alleges, adding that the man was “pleasuring himself” underneath his coat.

This time, Jackson says she reacted, prompting the man to “snatch his hand back.”

Oh helllllll nah.

Tia says she immediately called for a flight attendant and says she felt disrespected by the response.

““If he keeps touching you, you should move,” the flight attendant allegedly told her.

“I’m like, ‘That’s crazy.’ They basically told me to sit back down and I had to make a scene and I had to refuse sitting down because the pilot wouldn’t move until I sat down. That’s when they removed him from my row.”

“They asked if he touched me and he said ‘No,’” Jackson tells PEOPLE. “But he was shushing me.”

Tia made a police report after landing and seeing that the man was getting away “scot-free.”

Spirit has since released a detailed statement to PEOPLE about the incident claiming that more couldn’t be done because the plane was preparing to land. They also defended the flight attendant telling Tia to move instead of the alleged perpetrator.

“We take this claim seriously and are in direct contact with the guest. We thank our crew for their quick and professional assistance to address the situation.”

“Our flight attendants on board that flight learned of the alleged incident 18 minutes prior to landing when the guest pressed the call button and received immediate attention. Once she told the flight attendant who came to her seat, the flight attendant directed her to a different seat. The cabin crew wanted to move her, as opposed to him, because the move would have left him with an empty seat on one side and an aisle on the other,” Spirit explains.

“By the time the guest declined to move, landing was imminent and everyone had to be seated as required by federal regulation. Law enforcement began its investigation immediately after the flight arrived. We are supporting law enforcement as they investigate.”

Jackson tells PEOPLE she declined to move “because I’m not the one that should have been moved.”

What. A. Mess.

What would YOU have done in Tia’s case??? We smell a lawsuit brewing.