FILE – A United Airlines jetliner lands at Denver International Airport on Jan. 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A man faces a felony assault charge after an unprovoked attack on a fellow passenger who was sleeping on a cross-country flight this week, authorities say.

An FBI agent said Everett Chad Nelson punched the other man several times in the face and head, leaving him bleeding, before another passenger pulled him away from the victim.

The attack on a United Airlines flight Monday from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia lasted about a minute.

“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, a passenger was detained after being physically aggressive towards another customer,” ” United said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”

United said there were 82 customers and six crew members on the flight.

According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson left his seat in the back of the plane and used the restroom near the front before attacking the other man, who suffered bruising around his eyes and a gash on his neck. nose. Blood was splattered on the sleeves of Nelson’s windbreaker.

The agent said Nelson was moved to a seat near the front of the plane and was being watched by the passenger who stopped the assault. There is no indication Nelson knew the victim, who has not been identified.

The public defender assigned as Nelson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal magistrate ruled that Nelson should be held in custody until his trial, scheduled for Dec. 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. The magistrate cited the evidence against Nelson and his history of lack of stable employment and residence.

More than 1,700 unruly passengers have been reported on planes this year, matching an increase in the number of incidents last year. Reports of unruly passengers increased in 2021 and, although they declined over the next two years, remained higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.