An American Airlines passenger is under FBI review after witnesses accused her of removing her clothing and masturbating during a September flight from Baltimore to Miami. According to CBS Baltimore, the alleged incident happened aboard an American Airlines flight from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Miami on September 11, 2026, with law enforcement meeting the aircraft after it landed in Florida.
The American Airlines passenger, identified in a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office incident report as 46-year-old Katy Inzer, was seated behind a married couple when the alleged behavior began. According to TMZ, the husband told investigators he heard “strange loud moaning sounds” coming from the row behind him before turning around and allegedly seeing Inzer partially undressed, masturbating with her legs pressed against the aircraft window.
A passenger alerted a flight attendant to what was happening. The attendant approached Inzer and ordered her to put her clothing back on. The report says she complied “without further incident” and later slept for the remainder of the flight.
Once the American Airlines passenger arrived in Miami, deputies interviewed her about the allegations. According to the sheriff’s report, investigators said she had a “strong odor of alcohol” and bloodshot eyes. Inzer reportedly told officers that the Baltimore departure had been delayed for roughly two hours and she had consumed “several drinks” before boarding. She also told authorities she could not remember what happened during the flight because she had fallen asleep.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office ultimately forwarded the matter to the FBI because the alleged conduct occurred while the aircraft was in flight. As of October 6, no federal charges against Inzer had been publicly announced, and the outlet reported that the status of the FBI inquiry remained unclear. Inzer also declined to comment when contacted by the publication.
American Airlines addressed the incident in a statement provided to CBS Baltimore, saying, “The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority.” The airline added, “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and thank our crew members for their professionalism.” CBS reported in late September that the incident was among more than 1,100 unruly passenger reports submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration during 2026 at that point.
Federal authorities have prosecuted other masturbation and sexual misconduct cases aboard commercial aircraft. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Krishna Kunapuli was arrested in October 2024 after two passengers said they saw him masturbating under a blanket and, at times, exposing himself during an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Boston. Prosecutors said he had also made unwanted advances toward a woman and photographed her without permission.
That case moved quickly. According to a subsequent Justice Department announcement, Kunapuli pleaded guilty to committing lewd, indecent or obscene acts aboard an aircraft and received two years of probation and a $5,000 fine. He was also ordered to delete photographs he had taken of the female passenger and have no contact with her.
Another federal case involved Boston doctor Sudipta Mohanty. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, prosecutors accused Mohanty of masturbating and exposing himself within view of a 14-year-old girl seated next to him on a May 2022 flight from Honolulu to Boston. Federal authorities arrested and charged him in August 2023 with committing lewd, indecent, and obscene acts within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. The Justice Department stressed at the time that the allegations were accusations and that Mohanty was presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
More recently, a Seattle federal jury convicted Keith Witt in February 2026 in a case that involved both masturbation and unwanted sexual touching. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, prosecutors said Witt masturbated while seated next to a 19-year-old woman on an August 2023 flight from Billings to Seattle and touched her inner thigh while she appeared to be asleep. A jury found him guilty of abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft.
The Inzer allegations also surfaced shortly after another passenger described a similar encounter on a United-affiliated regional flight. According to NBC New York, a 25-year-old woman said a male seatmate masturbated next to her during an approximately one-hour flight from Rochester to Newark over Labor Day weekend in 2026. She said the full flight prevented her from changing seats, forcing her to spend part of the trip standing away from him before returning for landing. United said it was investigating and apologized for her experience.
The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate certain criminal allegations aboard commercial aircraft, while the Federal Aviation Administration handles civil enforcement involving unruly passengers. The FAA says disruptive passengers can face federal prosecution and civil fines of up to $43,658 per violation. For the American Airlines passenger now at the center of the Baltimore to Miami case, however, the investigation has not resulted in any publicly announced criminal charge as of the latest reporting.
