Serial stowaway pronounced mentally unfit to stand trial
Notorious serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman won’t be facing charges for her most recent unticketed air travel adventure, at least for the time being.
Hartman, 66, has been deemed unfit to stand trial and has been ordered by a judge to be sent to a mental health inpatient facility.
Cook County Judge Maura Slattery Boyle made the ruling after both the defense and prosecution recommended she undergo treatment.
Psychologist Christopher Cooper described Hartman as an intelligent woman but one who suffers from delusions and a ‘preoccupation with media attention.’
She has certainly had her fair share of infamy over the past few years, having been stopped in and around airports on numerous occasions and made it on to planes several times without a ticket.
Her most recent misdemeanor was the most ambitious yet when she managed to evade ticket checks to fly transatlantic to London.
Hartman will now be evaluated every 30 days and the criminal case will advance when she is deemed fit enough to stand trial.
If that doesn’t happen within a year, she may be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
TravelMole Editorial Team
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.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025