Marilyn Hartman (66) flew from Chicago to London on a British Airways jet last week. She didn’t have a ticket or a passport. How did she do it? She simply walked past TSA security officers and airline ticket collectors!
From The New York Times:
First, she walked past two Transportation Security Administration officers while they were checking the boarding passes of other passengers, Tandra R. Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney, said in a phone interview on Sunday.
“She hid her face with her hair and walked past the officers without presenting proper documentation to board a flight,” Ms. Simonton said.
After Ms. Hartman joined the security line and was screened by the T.S.A., she tried to board a flight to Connecticut around 2 p.m., attempting to conceal herself behind a passenger who was waiting in line, Ms. Simonton said. As Ms. Hartman tried to dart past the passenger, the gate agent stopped her, and directed her to sit down, Ms. Simonton said.
Prosecutors said Ms. Hartman stayed overnight at the airport, and the next day she approached a shuttle bus headed for the international gate.
“This shuttle requires a passport and plane ticket to board,” Ms. Simonton said, but despite having neither document, Ms. Hartman boarded the shuttle.
According to the police, she then got on a flight that landed at Heathrow Airport in London, where she was detained by British customs officials and denied entry into the United Kingdom. When she arrived in the United States on Thursday, she was charged with one felony count of theft and one misdemeanor for trespassing.
Image: Chicago Police Department