Parents speak out after teen daughter finds cellphone on toilet on American Airlines flight

The parents of a teenage girl want answers from American Airlines after their 14-year-old daughter reportedly found a cell phone taped to the toilet seat when she used the restroom in the first-class cabin of an American Airlines plane on a flight from Charlotte to Boston.

American Airlines, which is based in Fort Worth, said in an emailed statement to the Star-Telegram that law enforcement met flight 1441 when it landed in Boston.

“We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”

Paul Llewellyn, an attorney representing the family, said in an email to the Star-Telegram that the incident happened on Sept. 2 when the family flew from Charlotte to Boston to visit their son.

He said that the parents were “shocked” as they have not been contacted by American Airlines.

“We do not yet know whether a lawsuit will be filed. In the short term, the parents are focused on supporting their daughter and making sure this can never happen again to another family,” Llewellyn said.

The family, who is from Charlotte, was sitting in the coach section of the plane, according to reports from NBC10 in Boston, when the girl needed to use the restroom. A male flight attendant told her to use the restroom in the first-class section although the family was sitting in the coach section.

The TV station reported that the girl found the cell phone affixed to the back of the toilet seat, and she took a photo of the cell phone.

“It is hard to fathom that a flight attendant — charged with ensuring our safety and security, and to whom the flying public is legally bound to obey — appears to have targeted and exploited our child in obtaining child pornography during a flight,” the family told the Boston TV station. “That someone like this was allowed to be in that position of trust - and could follow through with such reckless behavior unchecked - should shock every parent.”