Belgian National Receives Prison Sentence for Assaulting Flight Crew Members on March 2024 Flight

NEWARK, N.J. - A Belgian national was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte for assaulting flight attendants aboard a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Zurich, Switzerland in March 2024, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.

Jan Daeninck, 43, of Belgium, previously pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte to an Information charging him with one count of assaulting a flight attendant by beating, wounding or striking. Daeninck was sentenced on June 1, 2026 to 10 months in prison and one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $73,000 in restitution.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On March 31, 2024, Daeninck was a passenger aboard a Swiss International Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Zurich, Switzerland. Shortly after takeoff, Daeninck walked up to a female flight attendant, grabbed both of her breasts with his hands, shook her, and began yelling at her, threatening to kill her. After the flight attendant was able to get away from Daeninck, he tried to get into the cockpit by kicking and beating the door. Then, when a male flight attendant approached Daeninck, he assaulted him by punching and kicking the flight attendant, striking him in head and upper body with a closed fist. Flight crew members were able to intervene and restrain Daeninck on the floor near the cockpit door for the rest of the flight. As a result, the flight turned around and landed back at Newark Liberty International Airport.

"The defendant's actions threatened the safety and security of innocent passengers, crew members, and the flight itself. Violence against flight crew members and attempts to compromise aircraft security will not be tolerated. This sentence demonstrates that those who jeopardize flight safety will face serious consequences, including prison time."

- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer

"The traveling public should feel confident the FBI takes aviation safety seriously. When a passenger attempts to breach a cockpit or assaults crew members, they are not just attacking individuals, they are threatening the safety of every single person on board," said FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy of Newark, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the Port Authority Police Department under the direction of Edward T. Cetnar, for their assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Goldman of the Office's Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.

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Defense Counsel: Anthony Pope, Esq.