TX Man Indicted For Sexual Abuse Aboard Flight To VA

ARLINGTON, VA — A Texas man was indicted in federal court on Wednesday for sexually assaulting another passenger during a flight from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year, according to court records.

On Aug. 29, 2024, the suspect, identified in court records as Varun Arora of Irving, Texas, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 1759 traveling to the D.C. area. He sat in an aisle seat in row 20 of the plane, with the victim sleeping in the center seat next to him.

As the plane neared National Airport, the victim awoke to Arora's hand between her legs, touching near her genital area, according to court records. She grabbed his hand and threw it off of her. She then repositioned herself to be as far away as possible from Arora, who pretended to be asleep.

Despite having moved, the victim felt Arora, who still feigned sleep, placing his hand on her backside and began rubbing her buttocks, according to court documents. For a second time, the victim pushed Arora's hand away. When the plane landed, Arora awoke.

The victim took a photo of the suspect and gathered her belongings so she could leave the plane, court records say. She told the person who had come to pick her up at the airport about the incident and reported it to American Airlines the next day.

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The airline reported the incident to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, who then contacted the FBI.

After confirming that the victim and suspect were seated next to each other on the Aug. 29, 2024, flight, and comparing the photo the victim took of the suspect to the one on Varun's driver's license, an FBI agent obtained a summons for Varun's arrest on Aug. 8, 2025.

On Wednesday, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Varun for simple assault aboard an aircraft in flight and abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft in flight, according to the indictment.

Varun is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. on Nov. 6., in district court in Alexandria.