Prosecutors arrest flight attendant on suspicion of trying to record teen girl in airplane bathroom

Police arrested an American Airlines flight attendant on Thursday on suspicion of trying to secretly record a 14-year-old female passenger using a bathroom aboard an airplane he was working on last September. Police also allege Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other minor female passengers using lavatories on an aircraft he had worked on previously. Thompson was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor. He was arrested in Lynchburg, Virginia, and will remain in custody pending his initial court appearance in Virginia. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, officials said. “The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement. “Mr. Thompson allegedly used his position to prey on and surreptitiously record innocent children, including unaccompanied minors.” American Airlines issued a statement saying they take the allegation very seriously. They also said the flight attendant was “immediately withheld from service following the September 2023 incident” and hasn’t worked since. “They don’t reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people,” the statement read. “We have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation as there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team.”<br/>