American Airlines Worker Admits Recording Young Girls While in Bathroom on Flights
THE DETAILS …
On March 7, 2025, a recall was issued for several varieties of pre-cut Japanese pickles produced by California-based Here are three paragraphs based on the article from the Daily Mail dated March 7, 2025, regarding the American Airlines flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III:
Estes Carter Thompson III, a 37-year-old former American Airlines flight attendant from Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025, to secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom during a flight from Charlotte to Boston in September 2023. The disturbing incident came to light when the teenager noticed red stickers on the toilet seat lid labeled “seat broken” and discovered Thompson’s iPhone hidden beneath them, capturing her on video. Thompson, who escorted her to the first-class lavatory after claiming it was unoccupied, admitted to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possessing child sexual abuse images involving a prepubescent minor, facing up to 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively, with sentencing scheduled for June 17, 2025.
Further investigation revealed that Thompson’s actions were not isolated, as authorities uncovered recordings of four additional girls—aged 7, 9, 11, and 14—using aircraft lavatories on flights he worked between January and August 2023. These videos, along with hundreds of AI-generated child sexual abuse images found in his iCloud account, painted a chilling picture of his predatory behavior. The case unraveled after the 14-year-old’s parents alerted authorities upon landing in Boston, leading to Thompson’s arrest in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, by the FBI. American Airlines swiftly terminated his employment following the discovery, emphasizing that he had not worked for them since the incident came to light.
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The guilty plea has brought some relief to the victims’ families, with attorney Paul Llewellyn, representing the 14-year-old and a 9-year-old victim, expressing satisfaction at Thompson’s admission of guilt for his “depraved crimes.” The 14-year-old’s lawsuit against American Airlines has been settled, while a trial for the 9-year-old’s case is set for July 2025. Thompson’s actions have sparked outrage and raised questions about passenger safety and oversight on flights, with prosecutors pushing for a significant prison term, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and restitution to be determined at sentencing. The case underscores the vulnerability of minors in confined spaces like aircraft and the critical role of vigilance in exposing such misconduct.