NY Man Sentenced For Assaulting Woman on NJ-bound Flight

A New York man is headed to prison for assaulting a female passenger on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport in 2021.

On Thursday, 30-year-old Ryan Manuella of Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, was sentenced to 24 months behind bars after pleading guilty to an assault with intent to commit another felony/stalking charge.

Federal authorities say on April 16th, 2021, on a flight from Denver to Newark, Manuella moved to a vacant seat next to a female passenger and touched her without her consent.

Manuella admitted the victim then yelled at him and he left that row of seats.

He admitted that touching the victim caused her "substantial emotional distress."

In addition to the prison term, Manuella was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger thanked special agents of the FBI and officers of the Port Authority Police Department with the investigation leading to the sentencing.