“She Would’ve Kept It” — Woman Tries Justifying Why She Stole Plane Passenger’s Apple Charger

A TikTok video posted by user @RcRelated is making waves with over 10.8 million views, and it’s all because of a simple iPhone charger. In the video, a man confronts a woman who allegedly took his charger while on a flight. The exchange between the two, as well as a third, rather unnecessary bystander named “Ed,” has sparked a debate about what constitutes rudeness, theft, and just plain old bad manners in the post-pandemic world.

The interaction kicks off when the man notices his charger is missing and sees the woman with it. What follows is a back-and-forth confrontation:

“Huh? Excuse me, did you take my charger?”

“Yeah,” the woman responds casually, as if swiping someone’s phone charger is no big deal.

“Why would you take my charger?” he asks, clearly baffled.

Her answer? “Because we got off the flight.”

Now, I’m no expert in inflight etiquette, but since when does disembarking from a plane mean open season on other people's stuff?

The conversation escalates as the man demands his charger back, with the woman giving a mix of nonchalant shrugs and defensive remarks. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Ed, another passenger with no apparent connection to the woman, chimes in, adding to the awkward tension.

Ed seems to have a lot to say, including, “I don’t know why you’re getting involved,” to the man, who rightfully responds, “I don’t know who you are!” Ed’s antics are both goofily entertaining and simultaneously completely unnecessary.

Finally, after some more back-and-forth and a lot of awkward moments, the woman returns the charger, and the man gets the last word: “You’re going to be famous. You’re going to be on TikTok.”

And famous she has become. With millions of views and countless comments, TikTok users weighed in on who they thought was in the wrong. One user wrote, “She had no intention of giving it back, glad you called her out,” while another chimed in, “The evidence is in her bag, and she’s gaslighting him.”

Many commenters echoed the sentiment that the woman’s actions were out of line, with one pointing out, “Doesn’t matter how big or small the item is, she stole it and that’s wrong. Period.” Another said, “Nah, she’s trying to act like it’s not a big deal because she’s on the wrong side of the argument.”

But was the man overreacting, as some in the comments claimed, or did he have a point? The debate touched on something bigger than just a missing charger but societal norms at large. In a follow-up video, the man explained that the flight had been delayed multiple times, and passengers were given the option to deplane. When he got off, he left his charger plugged in, only to be informed by another passenger that the woman had taken it.

Even the flight attendant gave the man the option to have the woman arrested for theft. He declined, wanting to avoid further delays for everyone else onboard. “I got my charger back,” he said, choosing not to drag the situation out any further.

The incident taps into a larger conversation about public rudeness, something that’s been on the rise in the post-pandemic world. As highlighted in a New York Times article, the pandemic has seen civility decline, especially in public spaces like airports. Many people seem to feel a sense of entitlement, acting out or behaving rudely under the excuse of stress.

In the end, TikTok has become the new public square where people can weigh in on the smallest interactions — and that’s exactly what happened here. Whether the woman was just having a bad day or the man was a little dramatic, one thing’s for sure: TikTok users weren’t shy about calling her out.

So, was it theft? Was the man being petty? Ultimately, that’s for the court of TikTok to decide. But one thing is clear: don’t take someone’s charger unless you want 10 million people to know about it.