Pictures of an Orthodox woman comforting a distressed child on board a transatlantic flight have gone viral online.

The boy, who has not been named, experienced a full-blown tantrum commonly associated with autism just one hour into the flight from Brussels to New York.

Tension mounted as the child, thought to be around eight years old, became highly distressed and began to cry and shriek loudly. But eventually Rochel Groner, an emissary for Chabad in North Carolina who works with young people with special needs, came to his aid.

Mrs Groner’s husband, Rabbi Bentzion Groner, later told his Facebook friends that his wife successfully subdued the child. The post, which has attracted thousands of likes and been shared more than 750 times, states: “After about 15 minutes,

Rochel walked over to his seat by the window and put out her hand. He looked up and took it. They walked together to the bulkhead where she sat rocking and playing with him for a couple hours.

While most of the passengers watched in awe little did they know that for Rochel this is her life.”

The couple, who are Chabad emissaries in North Carolina, co-direct two organisations in the state which help young disabled people. Mrs Groner, 33, later told JTA: “I felt I had to do something because no one was going to do something. I didn’t know if someone was going to get up and scream at this kid or if they were going to make an emergency landing.”

The couple had been returning from Israel via Belgium after chaperoning a Birthright trip. Mrs Groner said the boy had “tears streaming down his face” when she first approached him and that his behaviour had led her to surmise that he was autistic.

“I put out my hand, and he took my hand. It was such a surreal moment, and he just took it, and he stopped crying,” she said. “It was beautiful to see. It was incredible, the transformation. Whatever had been bothering him wasn’t bothering him, he was in a better place.”