Man urinates on fellow passenger aboard United Airlines flight, banned later

The man reportedly apologised to Jerome Gutierrez and pleaded with him not to press charges.

In an incident aboard a United Airlines flight, a man allegedly urinated on a fellow passenger during a journey from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Manila, Philippines. The airline reportedly banned the man, but the victim’s family criticised the company for its response, calling it inadequate.

According to SFGATE, the victim, Jerome Gutierrez, was travelling in business class when the incident occurred approximately four hours into the flight. Gutierrez’s stepdaughter, Nicole Cornell, stated that he was asleep when the man, seated nearby, suddenly got up and began urinating on him.

“He was asleep and buckled in and was surprised when he looked at the man and thought he was dreaming,” Cornell told the outlet. “Jerome realised he was soaked from his stomach down in that man’s urine.”

Cornell said that the cabin crew advised Gutierrez not to approach the alleged perpetrator, citing concerns that a confrontation could escalate into violence. The crew later provided Gutierrez with pyjamas to change into after the incident.

“They put the needs of the airline before my stepdad’s health,” Cornell wrote in a social media post. “I am so disgusted and in shock with how United Airlines handled this! That is a biohazard, and the plane should’ve turned around to address this issue.”

Anoushah Rasta, a spokesperson for United Airlines, confirmed that there was “a passenger disturbance” on the flight but declined to provide specific details. The airline stated that law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival in Manila and that the offending passenger had been banned.

In an email, Rasta noted, “We have banned this passenger.”

The man reportedly apologised to Gutierrez and pleaded with him not to press charges.

The incident drew comparisons on social media to a similar case in 2023 when a drunk man urinated on a female passenger in the business class of an Air India flight from the US to India. In that case, a police complaint was lodged, and the passenger was placed on a ‘no-fly’ list after an internal review by the airline.