Creepy flight passenger from NJ groped seatmate, ‘untied her pants’ when she rejected advances: prosecutors

A sicko flight passenger from New Jersey pleaded guilty Wednesday to abusive sexual contact after he groped a seatmate and “untied her pants” when she rejected his advances, federal prosecutors said.

Vernon Baker, 41, harassed a female passenger seated beside him on a flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia on October 30, 2024, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Baker repeatedly tried to cajole the woman into obliging with his unwanted advances, but to no avail.

So, the sleazeball exposed himself and tried to force the woman to touch his privates, according to prosecutors.

When the woman still objected, he “grabbed her breast over her clothing and untied her pants,” according to the release.

The woman, who by that point was “traumatized and shaken,” fled to the back of the cabin and flagged down the flight attendants to report the assault, the office said.

It’s unclear what airline the pair were flying with during the ill-fated encounter.

Vernon was charged with abusive sexual contact on an aircraft in January 2025. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Wednesday and is scheduled for sentencing on March 3, according to the release.

He could face up to three years behind bars on top of a $250,000 fine.