Stowaway flew aboard Delta flight from New York to Paris after evading airline checkpoints at JFK
A stowaway evaded multiple airport security checkpoints and flew aboard a Delta Airlines flight from New York to Paris Tuesday evening, authorities said – a shocking breach that raised serious alarm over airport security.
The individual, who did not have a boarding pass, completed security screening and bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations to board the aircraft, according to a spokesperson for the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The person was not carrying any prohibited items.
It’s unclear how the person, a US green card holder, Aave bypassed the boarding stations. Delta declined to provide additional details as the investigation continued.
Passengers weren’t alerted to the stowaway on Delta flight 264 from New York’s JFK International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport until the plane landed in Paris, said Rob Jackson, who was a passenger on the flight.
“Apparently, she hid in a lavatory all the way at the rear of the aircraft when we departed JFK,” Jackson told CNN.
“The first announcement to passengers that there was a problem was when we parked at the gate and they instructed us all to remain seated because French police were going to board the aircraft to deal with ‘a serious security issue,’” he said.
In a video recorded by Jackson, the captain can be heard saying, “Folks, this is the captain, we are just waiting for the police to come on board. They may be here now and they directed us to keep everyone on the airplane until we sort out the extra passenger that’s on the plane.”
