Man sentenced to 2 years in prison for assault on flight from Colorado to New Jersey
NEW JERSEY – A New York man was sentenced Thursday to 24 months in prison for assaulting a female passenger on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Friday.
Ryan Manuella, 30, of Cheektowaga previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to assault with intent to commit another felony, namely, stalking, while on an airplane. He was ordered detained without bond, Sellinger siad.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on a flight from Denver, Colorado, to Newark, on April 16, 2021, Manuella moved to a vacant seat next to a female passenger and touched the passenger without her consent. Manuella admitted the victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats. He admitted that touching the victim caused her substantial emotional distress.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Manuella to three years of supervised release, Selligner said.
