EGN NEWS DESK
A Texas man was arrested in Salt Lake City on Sunday after he boarded a Delta Air Lines flight with out a ticket by utilizing a photograph he had taken of one other passenger’s boarding cross whereas they weren’t trying, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
The man, Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, 26, faces one felony rely of stowaways on vessels or plane, in keeping with a criticism filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Utah. He was being held on the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, in keeping with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
After boarding a Delta flight certain for Austin, Texas, on Sunday, Mr. Fleurizard went to the rest room on the entrance of the aircraft, and stayed in there till the flight had utterly boarded and the doorways had been secured, in keeping with the federal criticism.
Mr. Fleurizard then made his approach towards the again of the aircraft, and he went into a rest room there, in keeping with court docket information. When he got here out, a flight attendant observed that there have been no open seats simply because the aircraft was about to taxi to the runway, court docket information present.
The flight attendant requested Mr. Fleurizard the place his seat was, and he mentioned it was 21F, which was already taken, the criticism states. After flight attendants couldn’t discover Mr. Fleurizard on their manifest, they realized he wasn’t licensed to be on the flight, and the aircraft returned to the gate, in keeping with the criticism.
Mr. Fleurizard informed the police that he had been on a snowboarding journey in Park City, Utah, and that he wanted to go house to see his household, in keeping with the criticism. He mentioned that he had been given a Southwest Airlines “buddy cross” by a good friend, the criticism mentioned.
Mr. Fleurizard informed the police that he had tried to get on a 3 p.m. Southwest flight on Saturday, however that the flight was full, in keeping with court docket paperwork. He then tried to fly house on a 6 a.m. Southwest flight on Sunday, he mentioned, however that flight was additionally full, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
The Transportation Security Administration mentioned on Wednesday that Mr. Fleurizard had been screened by safety on the Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday with none points, utilizing a photograph ID and boarding cross.
Surveillance footage from Sunday confirmed that Mr. Fleurizard was taking photographs of the telephones of a number of passengers in a Delta Air Lines boarding space whereas they weren’t trying, in keeping with the criticism. The footage then confirmed Mr. Fleurizard utilizing his cellphone to board the Delta flight.
Mr. Fleurizard “admitted he had made a mistake and was solely making an attempt to get house,” the criticism mentioned.
The F.B.I. mentioned on Wednesday that it was investigating the episode, however declined to supply any extra particulars.
No lawyer for Mr. Fleurizard had been listed in court docket information as of Wednesday afternoon.
Delta Air Lines mentioned in an announcement that it was “cooperating with legislation enforcement and related federal companies concerning an investigation right into a nonticketed particular person” on Sunday.
In the previous few months, there have been related situations through which passengers have boarded flights with out a ticket within the United States and abroad.
In February, a girl boarded a flight in Nashville and flew to Los Angeles with out a ticket. In November, a person made it via safety on the Copenhagen Airport in Denmark and flew to Los Angeles International Airport with solely Russian and Israeli identification playing cards in his bag.
