Angelina Jolie ‘Felt Like a Hostage,’ Said Brad Pitt ‘Mimicked a Monster’ in New Details From Plane-Ride Investigation

The couple’s children were “shell-shocked” during the incident, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by People

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (Getty Images)

Brad Pitt acted like a “monster” during the infamous family plane ride of 2016, screaming at his “shell-shocked” family, punching the ceiling and pushing then-wife Angelina Jolie against a wall, according to a copy of the FBI complaint reviewed by People that reveals new details from the ordeal that ended their marriage.

Jolie, as “Jane Doe,” requested the paperwork from the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act as part of her ongoing custody battle with Pitt. The criminal complaint has not been made public, and People said the version it reviewed was highly redacted.

According to People, Jolie alleged that a drunken Pitt “mimicked the behavior of a monster and screamed at them.” The kids were “shell-shocked,” said Jolie, who said she was “frozen, scared and didn’t know what to do” at the time and that the situation made her “feel like a hostage.”

Legal representatives for both parties did not immediately respond to requests from TheWrap for comment, though a rep for Pitt told People that there was “nothing new” in the documents. The rep also said “both parties” have had copies of the complaint since the FBI – which investigated because the incident was airborne – since the investigation was closed.

The Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services also investigated Pitt at the time and, like the FBI, concluded their investigation with no findings of abuse. Pitt has denied being abusive during the private flight on Sept. 14, 2016. A few days later, Jolie filed for divorce.

People reported that Jolie felt “tension” between she and Pitt on the flight that escalated to a physical altercation. She says Pitt grabbed and shook her, pushed her against a wall and punched at the ceiling of the aircraft.

Jolie also acknowledged that she wrapped Pitt in a choke-hold when it appeared “like he was going to attack” one of the children, who had called him a “prick” during the dustup. She alleged the plane was extensively damaged by red wine stains, and that Pitt poured beer on her at one point.

She said her injuries included a rug-burn on her hand, as well as back and elbow injuries, while acknowledging that a scratch that Pitt sustained “could have been from her.”

In a 2022 court filing in the Washington, D.C. District Court, separate from the 2016 FBI report, Jolie, listed as a Jane Doe, has requested to seal all documents related to the matter “as she litigates her instant claim under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552, et seq., seeking information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) about the agency’s investigation of an incident of domestic violence that occurred several years ago involving plaintiff and her minor children as victims and witnesses.”

Pamela Chelin contributed to this story.

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