Texas man arrested for using photo of Delta Air Lines passenger's ticket. What we know
A Texas man was arrested on March 17 when he boarded a Delta Air Lines flight in Utah using a photo of another passenger's ticket.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, 26, of George, Texas, faces a charge of stowaway after he boarded a Delta flight at Salt Lake City International Airport, bound for Austin, according to a report from NBC News.
Here's what we know:
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According to the felony complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Utah, Fleurizard had originally booked a Southwest flight but was reassigned to a later flight because his original flight was full.
Fleurizard told officers he was in Utah for a snowboarding trip and “needed to get home to see his family who had flown in from Florida,” according to the complaint.
Instead of waiting for his new scheduled flight, he headed to Delta gates, where he was seen on surveillance footage taking photos of passenger's phones and boarding passes while they weren't looking, according to the complaint.
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When Fleurizard boarded the Delta 1683 flight using a picture from his phone, he entered the lavatory in the front of the aircraft, where he spent a "significant amount of time," the complaint alleged.
As Fleurizard exited the lavatory, a flight attendant noticed that there were no available seats, but the aircraft doors had already been secured and the aircraft had begun to taxi the runway. He told the flight attendant that his seat was 21F, but the flight attendant verified that 21F belonged to another passenger.
Upon boarding, a minor female passenger traveling alone encountered an issue when the gate agent attempted to scan her ticket. It was discovered that the system showed she was already on board when her boarding pass was scanned.
Flight attendants collected his name but were unable to find a valid ticket or reservation for him on the Delta flight or any other Delta flight. Surveillance footage captured Fleurizard taking a photo of the girl's phone.
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The aircraft returned to the gate, where Fleurizard disembarked and was met by law enforcement.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, Fleurizard had passed airport screening on March 17 without incident, presenting a photo ID matching the name on the boarding pass.
Delta stated its cooperation with law enforcement and federal agencies in the investigation.
Court documents revealed an active warrant for Fleurizard in Austin. The nature of the warrant remains unclear, but Austin police have flagged him for "violent tendencies."
Online booking records indicate he is currently held in Salt Lake County on a federal detainer.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas man arrested for using photo of Delta passenger's ticket
