Passenger gone wild: man punches pregnant deaf woman, service dog on flight
In today’s WTF moment, a man allegedly punched a pregnant deaf woman and her service dog on a flight to Orlando.
According to the Orlando Police Department, the confrontation started on a Frontier Airlines plane when Timothy and Petrini Manley complained about being allergic to Mathew Silvay and Hazel Ramirez’s dog. The Manleys also complained that the dog, a Great Dane, was taking up too much space.
Silvay and Ramirez are both deaf. Ramirez is 20 weeks pregnant. The couple’s two daughters were also on the plane when the drama unfolded. CBS affiliate WKMG reports that the family was traveling from Colorado Springs to Orlando for their gender reveal party.
“Timothy reacted by getting in Matthew’s face. At some point, Hazel was punched in the stomach by Timothy and [Ramirez and Silvay’s] two children were touched by Timothy,” according to the police report.
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Using sign language, Ramirez told Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV: “That’s when my fiancée just became furious, because he put his hands on me and the kid and the dog.”
The altercation continued once the plane landed at the Orlando International Airport. WESH 2 News published a video on its site that shows “a man running after another man” in the terminal. Silvay admitted to tackling Timothy Maley after they departed the plane, police said.
However, Petrini Manley called the situation a misunderstanding, saying that her husband loves animals and would never intentionally harm the couple’s dog.
No one was arrested following the incident, but the FBI is investigating the case because it happened on a plane, according to ABC news. Ramirez plans to prosecute and testify in court, police said.
In a statement, a Frontier spokesperson acknowledged the confrontation and said police were notified to de-escalate the situation.
“The safety and security of
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