The woman who was labelled a thief by a fellow passenger for taking his iPhone charger from her seat insists she is the victim of an act where no good deed goes unpunished – and is now facing backlash after her social media humiliation.
Vanessa identified herself as the woman in the now-viral footage and revealed she had received death threats after the altercation was “taken out of context” and shared online.
“This charger was found on the floor of an empty flight where we were told to remove all our belongings because we did not know if we would return on the same flight due to technical issues,” he said.
Vanessa said she was sitting in the back of the plane, so she was one of the last people to disembark. She claims she grabbed the charger from the floor, under an empty seat in front of her, and tried to hand it to the crew.
“I told the flight attendant, but she refused to accept it because they are not responsible for passengers’ belongings,” he explained.
Vanessa identified herself as the woman in the now-viral footage and revealed she had received death threats after the altercation was “taken out of context” and shared online.
Vanessa said she was traveling with her 20-pound cat and a mountain of luggage, and explained that during the three-hour delay before they were allowed back on the plane, she kept the charger in her purse.
Although the initial video suggested Vanessa was a thief who unplugged the car seat charger and tried to stuff it into her bag, she insists there was “no stealthy behavior” and that she actually made it very clear to people around her what she was doing.
“I picked it up off the floor,” he said. “I picked it up off the floor. I didn’t unplug it.”
Clover said she was traveling with her 20-pound cat and a mountain of luggage, and explained that during the three-hour delay before they were allowed back on the plane, she kept the charger in her bag.
When he got back on the plane, the passenger, Eddie Orellano, was already “agitated” and “disturbing people” passing by.
“When I got in, I immediately told him I would get him his charger, but to give me a second,” he said.
“Several hours had passed… honestly it was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t even know where that charger was. What I was worried about was my 20-pound cat.
“I wanted to find a safe place to leave my cat and my luggage, and also to get some distance from this aggressive and erratic man, for my own safety.”
When he got back on the plane, the passenger, Eddie Orellano, was already “agitated” and “confronting people” passing by.
Vanessa admitted that she “could have acted with more grace” given that Orellano was so upset by the situation.
“But I was really stressed, exhausted, worried about my cat, out of breath… eight hours in the airport just to be recorded and yelled at,” she said.
“I acted completely imperfectly, as most people do under pressure.”
Vanessa said she had received death threats and harassment since the initial video went viral, prompting her to share her side of the story.
‘Many of you are quick to believe I’m some sort of evil villain because of a phone charger on the floor of an empty flight that I tried to hand to the crew.
“This man shouted in my face from the moment I got on board, of course I didn’t greet him with a smile.”
In the original video shared by Orellano online, he claimed he had left his Apple iPhone charger plugged in at his seat when the pilot let passengers off to stretch their legs due to delays.
A woman sitting next to Orellano said, “Ed, okay, sit down. Ed, I don’t want to get kicked off this flight. Oh my God, Ed, please.”
In the original video shared by Orellano online, he claimed he had left his Apple iPhone charger plugged in at his seat when the pilot let passengers off to stretch their legs due to delays.
He said a fellow passenger told him a blonde woman had unplugged the charger, rolled it up and put it in her bag, prompting him to angrily confront her when they reboarded.
“Excuse me, did you take my charger?” he asked as she passed him in the hallway.
“Yes, I have it,” she replied immediately.
“Why did you take my charger?” she asked. “Don’t steal things. You can’t just take things without asking.”
‘You’ll be famous, you’ll be on TikTok.’
“Because we got off the flight,” he said, adding, “It’s okay, you’re going to get it back.”
A woman sitting next to Orellano said, “Ed, OK, sit down. Ed, I don’t want to get kicked off this flight. Oh my God, Ed, please.”
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