I actually agree with you 100% on that. Either stay quiet or get up and move to another part of the car. Because it's beyond foolish for a woman or skinny guy to talk to a punk like that in a way even approaching offensive, no matter what sort of crap he was doing. In any case, she certainly didn't deserve to get punched in the face over anything that was said between them like someone here said. That is really twisted thinking.
I guess it depends on how she addressed the perp. If she made a scene which I think she did she has to accept the danger.