Serial stowaway arrested again after taking flight to London
Serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman, the bane of TSA and gate agents around the country, has been up to her old tricks again.
Hartman has a long history of sneaking aboard planes without a ticket and this time managed to make it all the way to London.
She was charged with felony theft and a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing.
Hartman got past TSA screening at a domestic checkpoint at Chicago O’Hare, then took a shuttle to the international terminal.
The following day she managed to evade ticket checks at the gate to board a British Airways transatlantic flight.
It was only while the flight was in the air that cabin crew discovered she didn’t have a ticket.
She was arrested on landing at London Heathrow and sent back to Chicago.
The 66-year-old Hartman has become notorious for her numerous attempts – many successful – in getting past security checkpoints and ticket checks to board aircraft.
In 2016, she was sentenced in Chicago to six months of house arrest and mental health evaluation including several months as an in-patient at a mental health facility.
A bizarre habit of trying to get on planes without a ticket has resulted in numerous court appearances and convictions.
She has been caught attempting to sneak through or already aboard flights without a ticket in California, Minnesota, Florida and both Chicago airports.
The airport promised a full inquiry – yet again.
"We are working with our law enforcement partners to support a comprehensive and thorough investigation, while continuing to maintain the highest levels of security at O’Hare Airport," said Andrea Huffman, spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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