NEW YORK - After a woman was fondled aboard an international flight, American Airlines personnel failed to notify authorities -- allowing the suspect to walk freely out of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, sources said.
"She told the flight crew she was molested by this guy, but it's apparent that [American Airlines] didn't make contact," a Port Authority police source told the New York Post.
The new allegation raises more questions about the way the airline reacted to the midair assault -- after an earlier claim that cabin personnel refused to give the woman a new seat after she was groped by a man on a Buenos Aires-to-JFK flight early last month.
After the airline neglected to summon authorities to meet the jet, the woman reported the assault to US immigration officers. By the time police were called, the man already had left the airport, sources said.
Port Authority detectives eventually tracked the suspect down. Dr. Luis Fandos, a Long Island anesthesiologist, was charged last week with federal criminal assault aboard an aircraft, according to documents filed by Brooklyn Assistant US Attorney Michael Yaeger.
Fandos was traveling with his wife at the time of the incident, sources said.
The victim told investigators that she fell asleep and awoke to find the man seated next to her touching her breast.
She notified the flight crew and asked to be moved, but they said it was not possible, according to an official report.
After falling asleep again, the woman woke up to find the same man touching her upper thigh, the report said.
Fandos' lawyer vowed to fight the charges.
Read more: nypost.com
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