The FBI is investigating after a man authorities say was an unticketed passenger was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight at Salt Lake City International Airport Sunday morning.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, officers arrested Wicliff Fleurizard, 26, of George, Texas, who was removed from Flight 1683, which was to head for Austin.
The complaint says he had a boarding pass when passing through security but not for the flight he boarded.
It says Fleurizard told police he was in Utah on a snowboarding trip to Park City but had to get home to see family members who'd flown in from Florida. He said a friend gave him a free "buddy pass" for Southwest Airlines and that was the ticket he used to get through security, but the flight he intended to get on was full so he went to the Delta gate.
A recent incident at Salt Lake City International Airport involved a man who attempted to board a Delta plane using someone else's boarding pass. The complaint states that he was caught on security camera taking pictures of boarding passes without permission and used one of those pictures to try and stowaway on the plane. However, when he realized there were no available seats after exiting the lavatory, flight attendants became aware of the situation and the plane had to return to the gate.
Upon questioning, the man admitted his mistake, claiming he was only trying to get home. Salt Lake City Police responded to the incident and the individual was escorted off the aircraft by authorities.
In response to the incident, Delta Airlines stated that they are collaborating with law enforcement and relevant agencies to investigate the unauthorized boarding. The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that the suspect had successfully passed through security using a matching photo ID and boarding pass.
Although the TSA mentioned that the passenger had a boarding pass, Delta clarified that the individual did not possess a valid ticket for the flight in question. The suspect is currently in federal custody at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
Flight 1683 experienced a delay of approximately thirty minutes due to the incident.
After a recent incident, the FBI has chosen not to provide any additional information.
In a peculiar turn of events last month, a woman managed to board an American Airlines flight from Nashville to Los Angeles without a boarding pass. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has verified that the woman successfully evaded the ID-boarding pass screening process, although she did undergo the standard magnetometer and bags check.
Authorities took the woman into custody upon her arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 7.
