Woman who stole fellow passenger’s charger on crowded flight breaks her silence
The woman who was branded a thief by a fellow passenger for taking his iPhone charger from his seat claims she is the victim of a “no-good-deed-goes-unpunished” act. Now she’s facing a backlash over his social media shaming.
Vanessa identified herself as the woman in the now-viral footage, saying she had received death threats after the altercation was “taken out of context” and shared online.
“This charger was found on the ground of an empty plane. We had to take all our belongings out because we didn’t know if we would get on the same flight because of technical problems,” she said.
Vanessa said she was seated at the very back of the plane and was one of the last people to get off. 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 wouldn’t accept it because they can’t be held responsible for the passengers’ belongings,” she said.
Vanessa identified herself as the woman in the now-viral footage and revealed she had received death threats after the scuffle 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 to reboard the plane, she stashed the charger in her bag.
Although the initial video suggested that Vanessa was a thief who had taken the charger from the chair and tried to hide it in her bag, she maintains that there was “no surreptitious behavior” and that she was in fact very clear to those around her about what she was doing.
“I picked it up off the floor,” she said. “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 to reboard, she had put the charger in her bag.
When she reboarded the plane, the passenger, Eddie Orellano, was already “irritated” and “getting in the face” of people who walked by.
“When I got in, I immediately told him I would give him his charger, but to give me some time,” she said.
“A couple of hours had passed… it was honestly the last thing on my mind. I didn’t even know where the charger was. What I was worried about was my 20 pound cat.
“I wanted to find a safe place to put my cat and my luggage. I also wanted to get some distance from this aggressive, erratic man, for my own safety.”
When she reboarded the plane, the passenger, Eddie Orellano, was already “agitated” and “started getting in people’s faces” as they walked past
Vanessa admitted that she “could have behaved more elegantly” since Orellano was so upset about the situation.
“But I was really stressed, exhausted, worried about my cat, out of breath… eight hours in the airport just to be filmed and yelled at,” she said.
“I acted completely imperfectly, as most people do when they are under pressure.”
Vanessa says she has received death threats and harassment since the first video went viral, which prompted her to share her side of the story.
‘Many of you are quick to think that I am some kind of evil villain, because of a phone charger on the ground of an empty plane that I tried to give to the crew.
‘That man shouted it in my face when I came on board. Of course I didn’t greet him with a smile.’
In the original video Orellano shared online, he claimed he left the Apple iPhone charger in his seat when the pilot let passengers out to stretch their legs due to flight delays.
A woman sitting next to Orellano said, “Ed, it’s okay, sit down. Ed, I don’t want to get kicked off this plane. Oh my God, Ed, please.”
In the original video Orellano shared online, he claimed he left his Apple iPhone charger in his seat when the pilot let passengers off the plane to stretch their legs due to the delays.
He said a fellow passenger told him that a blonde woman had unplugged the charger, rolled it up and put it in her bag. When they got back in, he angrily confronted her.
“Excuse me, did you bring my charger?” he asked as she passed him in the aisle.
“Yes, I have,” she replied immediately.
“Why would you take my charger?” he asked her. “Don’t steal things. You can’t take things without asking.”
“You get famous, you get on TikTok.”
“Because we got off the plane,” she said, adding, “It’s okay, you’ll get it back.”
A woman sitting next to Orellano said, “Ed, it’s okay, sit down. Ed, I don’t want to get kicked off this plane. Oh my God, Ed, please.”