A Connecticut couple is facing charges after allegedly performing sexual acts aboard a JetBlue flight in front of a horrified mother and her two young children.
Trista L. Reilly, 43, and Christopher D. Arnold, 42, of Danbury, were arrested Saturday upon arrival at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
They have each been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition, a felony.
The disturbing incident unfolded on JetBlue Flight 163 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Sarasota.
According to court documents, a flight attendant was alerted by a mother who reported that Reilly and Arnold were engaged in lewd acts in full view of her children.
An affidavit states that after being notified, the flight attendant observed Reilly ‘making up and down movements with her head while she was facedown on Mr. Arnold’s lap’.
The mother also provided a witness statement, noting that Reilly appeared to notice her children watching but that the couple ‘didn’t stop’.
Police were called to the scene as soon as the plane landed, and Reilly and Arnold were taken into custody.
A Connecticut couple is facing charges after allegedly performing sexual acts aboard a JetBlue flight, witnessed by a horrified mother and her two young children
Trista L. Reilly, 43, and Christopher D. Arnold, 42, of Danbury, were arrested Saturday upon arrival at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport
The disturbing incident unfolded on JetBlue Flight 163 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Sarasota
Both defendants have been released without bail and are scheduled to be arraigned on August 15.
‘This behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by JetBlue,’ the airline said in a statement to Daily Mail.
‘Immediately upon receiving the report, our crewmembers acted swiftly to engage JetBlue’s security team and law enforcement.
‘We are fully cooperating with the investigation and these customers are no longer welcome to fly JetBlue.
Daily Mail has reached out to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport for comment.
Arnold owns a carpentry and home remodeling company. The couple appear in Facebook photos together as far back as 2016.
Since Reilly and Arnold are both over 18, their alleged offense of lewd or lascivious exhibition in the presence of minors is classified as a second-degree felony.
If convicted, the couple could face up to 15 years in prison.
Beyond potential incarceration, a conviction for lewd or lascivious exhibition can also carry up to 15 years of sex offender probation, a fine of up to $10,000, and a mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.
The would also be ineligible for ‘gain time’ in prison, meaning they would have to serve the entirety of any prison sentence.
