Warning: The details of this story are graphic and could be disturbing for some readers.
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman who was seated next to him on a Philadelphia-bound flight last year, officials said.
Vernon Baker, 41, of Linden, New Jersey, entered a plea of guilty on Wednesday, before United States District Judge Anita B. Brody, to one count of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft.
Officials said Baker was charged with that offense by indictment in January of this year.
On October 30, 2024, while aboard a commercial flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, officials said Baker made sexual advances toward a woman who was sitting next to him.
After the woman refused his advances, officials said Baker took out his penis and forcibly tried to get the victim to touch him. He then grabbed her breast over her clothing and untied her pants.
Traumatized and shaken, officials said the woman rushed to the back of the cabin, where she reported the assault to the flight attendants.
Baker is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2026, and faces a maximum possible term of three years’ imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, according to officials.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.