The FAA is investigating the bloody attack on a sleeping passenger on a United Airlines flight

Court documents say a man attacked a sleeping passenger on a United Airlines flight on Monday in a bloody and seemingly random attack.

The FBI says Everett Chad Nelson, who was seated on the 35th floor, went to the bathroom about two hours after the flight from San Francisco, California, to Dulles, Virginia.

While returning to his seat after using the restroom, he stopped at seat 12F, where a man was sleeping, and began punching him repeatedly.

Blood spattered on both men, as well as on the seat, window and wall of the plane. The FBI statement said the victim woke up screaming and other passengers tried to intervene.

The United Airlines logo at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

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Court documents show the sleeping passenger had black eyes and a cut on his nose. They also pointed out that the victim did not hurt Nelson, even in self-defense.

Another passenger managed to pull Nelson out of the passenger seat. Nelson was moved to a seat at the front of the plane and observed by a passenger, who stopped the attack.

“Thanks to the quick actions of our crew and customers, a passenger was restrained when he became physically aggressive towards another customer,” United Airlines said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”

United Airlines Flight 2247 “landed safely at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after the crew reported a passenger disturbance” at 1:40 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Court documents show the injured man was then treated by a doctor for “abrasions to his face and head.”

Nelson made his first court appearance on Tuesday and was remanded in custody by a judge. He hasn’t filed a complaint yet.

The FAA also noted that incidents involving unruly passengers “have declined by more than 80 percent from record levels in early 2021, but unacceptable behavior continues to occur.”

According to the FAA, airlines reported more than 1,200 incidents of unruly passengers in 2024.