A New York man is facing federal charges carrying a sentence of up to six years in prison and $350,000 in fines for assaulting a woman onboard a cruise ship last week.
According to New York, 45-year-old Adam Damian Panetta was taken into custody and charged with one count of assault and one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury when the Norwegian Gem arrived back in port in Boston on Friday following a seven-day cruise to Bermuda.
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Court documents show the attack was caught on surveillance video while the ship was 200 miles off the coast of New Jersey on Thursday. Officials said Panetta is seen pulling a woman by her hair down the length of a hallway.
Panetta and the woman, who was not identified, were then seen outside one of the cabins when she hit him in the face with an open hand, prompting Panetta to punch her twice in the side of the head with a closed fist. The woman fell to the ground, appearing to be unconscious.
The woman is later seen crawling into the cabin as Panetta kicks her in the buttocks before leaving with a blood-stained towel on her head. Officials said Panetta and the woman eventually visited the ship’s medical center, where she was treated for swelling on the right side of her head and a laceration requiring five stitches.
Panetta is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday.
