Tom Zelenovic charged with assault for beating man on plane after arguing over reclining seat

• Tall people don't need extra space. Just get a little device called Knee Defender. Keeps the seat in front of you from reclining. You can usually set it to allow a little reclining or none at all. Works great. Just need to put it in place before the a-hole in front of you bangs his seat back unannounced. I've been using it for years. From my experience - I'm 6-4 - what usually happens is the person tries to recline two or three times, then gives up. He probably assumes the seat is broken.

• cg: from what I understand airline seats are designed with the average person in mind. now if you don't fit for one reason or another you should buy enough room for yourself to be comfrtable. did this asshole have to fly.... no he had many travel options for himself. just like the fat people have a choice to not eat as you explained. he has the same choice. fly and be uncomfortable or don't fly. i hope that isn't too logical for you all. and you are a fat hater.... to bad for your wife

• I dropped him on his head when he was little

• actually sg7 the article states the man waited ten or fifteen minutes. do you read an article before you comment? it sounds to me like you are the me first asshole. not to mention if this dipshit had just reclined his seat he would have the same room as before. Because Idiot!!! every seat reclines the same distance.

• Hey Anon, How about selfish bungholes who slam their seat backwards as soon as they possibly can - thus infringing on the space of others. If they want a lie-flat bed, perhaps THEY should buy a seat up front, rather than imposing their will on the poor schlub who's stuck behind them. Sounds to me like you - much like the recliner in the story - has that all-too-common "me first" attitude. Personally, I wish that none of the seats reclined at all!

• Well Anon... While some fat people are fat due to genetic or medical reasons most are fat by choice. Tall people, on the other hand, are typically not making a choice to be tall. Although, I prayed every night that I'd grow to be 7 feet tall as a kid. It is simply not a choice to be tall or small. Tall people shouldn't be forced to pay extra but they airlines might be kind enough to have a row or two of seats with extended leg room for passengers over a certain height. I guess, while they are at that they might be able to squeeze in a row of double-wide seats to placate the girthier passengers as well. None of this really has to do with the reason the guy snapped. But hey, maybe someone will learn to be more polite or the airlines just might have an engineer pop on here that could figure out a way to add these "special" seats without putting a crunch on the airlines.

• if fat people don't fit in the seat they have to buy an extra seat.... right? the same should go for tall people. if this bunghole is so tall he cant fit in a seat then tough shit buy another couple of seats ya asshole

• flying has become a very stressful experience. people crack under the pressure and we'll likely see more of this with the frecent tsa groping procedures. being treated like livestock is not a fun way to travel.

• Really? For all you RECLINERS: IS IT WORTH IT? does it actually make a difference? RECLINERS=Passive aggressiveness

• Just to put it out there. How many of you that want to see him do jail time have been in jail? I've only been for a night over parking fines and I'll tell you that the experience didn't teach me anything other than anger and terror. It's not just a time out folks. It's a dehumanizing cage that really doesn't teach anything other than how to live in prison.

• Well I agree he should be punished but severity of the crime should be recognized. What I'm more interested in discussing is how to avert these types of situations in the future. Like I said there is an ever increasing level of anxiety that we are being subjected to that is helping escalate this kind of thing. Like I said before, I can't remember anytime in my past where a passenger was unruly. Some were drunk but never have I seen anyone come unglued. These days, it is taken completely over the top with all the paranoia and fear mongering. By the way, I'm only 48. What I'm suggesting is that we as a people get more connected. Touch base with those other passengers around us and check in while keeping our anxiety and fear in check. Get to know your neighbors and suddenly a lot of anxiety and fear is reduced to great conversation and polite interaction. Sit there and think that your actions won't affect people around you and your are living in ignorance. I feel both parties could have made this a much less ridiculous event. Example: Recliner Boy "Excuse me but do you mind if I recline my chair?" You might feel it's his right but take into consideration that maybe the person behind you has a bag open, a drink on a tray or his kid standing up between your chair and his knees. Personally I never recline unless I'm aware of what is happening behind me. If I feel it might be a problem I ask. How hard is that? In this disconnected world I guess it's just too much to ask, but in the not to distant past people were much more aware and tolerant. On the flip side, Old Ear Puller could have just asked him to move up a bit or asked the cabin attendant to find another seat for him. Or he could have just moved over. The point being that a little conversation and less self centered behavior on either one of their parts would have diffused the situation. Communication and respect are skills that are rapidly disappearing. Both escalated it. Ear Puller went too far and now will pay the price. That price could be training on how to deal with his aggressive behavior or you could just slam him in a cell with other violent criminals and let him develop a different skill set. One that I wouldn't want to witness when he was released. Our penal system does not help in a situation like this but learning compassion and respect will go a long way toward bringing EP around to the Light Side of the Farce.

• Sorry cg there is no way I can agree with you. If a stranger put his/her hands on me and assulted me, I would absolutely press charges. I hope He receives the maximum jail time and $$ fine. What makes people think they have the right to assult ANYBODY ? he should..... get Jail time $$ penalty be banned from flying for 6 months If he has a frequent flyer account the airline should close the account and forefit all his miles ( and I hope he has a few hundred thousand. Then maybe people would learn to show respect to other people

• Expect more of this. I remember flying used to be a joyful experience but now with all the tension created by the Touching Sexual Areas administration more and more frustration will be displayed and acted out on other passengers. No one wins here except the terrorists laughing at us for being such paranoid morons. What he did was wrong. Does he deserve jail time? NO. He does deserve some anger management classes and a ban from flight for a month. He didn't kill anyone and he didn't beat the guy up. This situation could have been handled better by both people. I personally tend to ask before jamming my seat back into someone's face and knees. But others don't. Had he asked if the other passenger had a problem with it then this would have all turned out differently. You'd think there would be more of a feeling of togetherness with this group on the plane knowing that they had all been peeped at or fondled together. Also, don't jump to conclusions. Zelenovic might be quite a tall man. If so, the seats , already cramped due to airlines' sardining of passengers to maximize profits, might have been so close and he so large that it did impact his comfort and personal space. I'm not condoning violence, but let's keep this in perspective.

• tugboat, you must have misread. He didn't recline 10 or 15 times. He reclined 10 or 15 minutes into the flight. Very different.

• Well it sounds as if the recliner was doing so violently. 10 to 15 times is very excessive. They should have called a flight attendent. And yes, if you are the one in the back and there is an empty seat next to you, move a little. They are both jerks and should both be arrested.

• "People who recline their seats on planes deserve to be assaulted." No, but people who complain about it do deserve to be assaulted.

• Sounds like he got what he deserved. I mean the guy who was reclining.

• People who recline their seats on planes deserve to be assaulted.

• He deserves some jail time to grow up a little.

• White Shadow, hard to argue with that logic. Thanks for reading.

• Zelenovic deserves to pay the fine and spend time in jail. Seriously he is an adult,correction a moron.

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