Elizabeth Smart says man touched her while she slept on flight last summer

Elizabeth Smart, the Utah woman who was kidnapped from her home as a teenager, has founded a self-defense initiative after saying she was groped on a flight last year.

Smart, 32, told CBS’s Gayle King this week that she was sleeping on a Delta Air Lines flight home to Utah last summer when she woke up to the feeling of “someone’s hand rubbing in between my legs on my inner thigh.” 

“I’ve always felt safe on an airplane,” Smart said. “I’ve never been worried, I’ve never felt threatened on an airplane until now. 

“I was shocked. I mean, the last time someone touched me without my say-so was when I was kidnapped. And I froze. I didn’t know what to do. And I speak to other women about it. I say it’s OK to say no and it’s OK to take care of yourself and be safe,” she continued.

“I kept saying to myself, ‘You’re Elizabeth Smart, you should know what to do,’ ” she added. 

Smart said she woke up and expected the man to pull his hand away, but he did not move or speak to her. She said she reported the incident to the airline, and Delta employees were “so apologetic” and offered to “back [Smart] up” over the accusations.

“I mean, it’s not Delta’s fault,” Smart said. “It was this man. This man made a decision. But I wanted Delta to know, and they were appalled.” 

Smart said the FBI is investigating and that she doesn’t “want him to be preying on other girls.”

USA Today reported that the FBI could not confirm that an investigation exists.

The FBI declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation to The Hill.

After the alleged incident, Smart said she trained with a family friend in self-defense. She said the experience inspired her to found Smart Defense, a Utah-based organization that teaches women and girls tools to protect themselves, including self-defense.

Smart denied that the tools would have helped her escape her kidnapping in 2002, but it could have given her the “confidence to try.” 

“We’re not training them to be assassins, we are trying to train them to give themselves an opportunity to get away,” Smart said. 

Delta spokesman Anthony Black told The Hill that the airline is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.  

“Following her flight, Elizabeth Smart contacted Delta and shared that another passenger had acted inappropriately towards her,” the statement said. “We took the matter seriously and have continued to cooperate with Ms. Smart and the appropriate authorities as the matter is investigated. Delta does not tolerate passenger misconduct towards other customers or Delta employees.”