Police have arrested an American Airlines flight attendant after he allegedly recorded young passengers without their content while onboard a flight from North Carolina to Massachusetts in September 2023. But these weren’t just regular images; Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, reportedly set up a hidden camera inside an airplane bathroom and filmed multiple minor female passengers using the facilities, one as young as 7 years old.
One heroic teen reportedly caught Thompson and photographed his video setup. She showed it to her parents, which led to the flight attendant’s downfall. Now, he is in jail on multiple charges and the family is embroiled in a lawsuit with American Airlines, alleging the company mishandled the entire situation.
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Thompson allegedly saw an opportunity.
According to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, a 14-year-old girl was traveling with family to Boston when she needed to use the bathroom. When she got to the restroom closest to her seat, it was occupied. Thompson allegedly offered to allow the girl to use the first-class bathroom and escorted her to the facility. Before going in, the man allegedly said he needed to wash his hands and went into the bathroom before the teen girl. He also mentioned the seat was broken.
The teen alleged that “after Thompson exited the lavatory, the minor victim entered and observed red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, that stated, ‘INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT’ and ‘REMOVE FROM SERVICE,’ and ‘SEAT BROKEN’ was hand-written in black ink on one of the stickers,” the release reads.
The teen noticed something strange.
The girl allegedly saw an iPhone concealed behind the red tape. She took a photo of it and immediately went to her parents for help. Her father then told other flight crew members what his daughter had told him.
According to the press release, the girl's father confronted Thompson, who allegedly locked himself in the bathroom for several minutes with his phone until it was time for the flight to descend.
Police were waiting for Thompson after he left the plane.
When the plane landed at Boston’s Logan Airport, Thompson was stopped by police, who reportedly confiscated his phone and his luggage, the DA’s office explained. It appeared that he attempted to restore his phone to factory settings after the incident on the plane.
Upon further investigation, police found the flight attendant had recordings of other minor females as well as at least 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied minor on a flight. “The images included photos taken while the minor victim was seated in her seat pre-flight and close-ups of her face while sleeping,” the release explained.
He faces a lengthy prison sentence.
The DA’s office said that if convicted of sexual exploitation, Thompson faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. Conviction of child pornography possession charges would result in at least five years and up to 20 years in prison. He will also face a minimum of five years to a lifetime of supervised release and up to $250,000 in restitution.
All of the suspected victims have been identified and their families notified.
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The teenage victim’s parents sued the airline.
Paul Llewellyn told the New York Post that his clients sued the airline for not properly handling the situation, allowing Thompson to go into the bathroom and potentially destroying evidence before the flight landed.
“It is also shocking to hear that he allegedly preyed on at least five minors while they were flying on American,” Llewellyn shared in a statement to the newspaper. “While the criminal justice system must now run its course against the flight attendant, it remains to be seen whether America will finally take some measure of responsibility to the families for what happened. This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again.”
The family of the 9-year-old girl also has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines.
