Plane stowaway charged with felony for taking photo of Delta Airlines passenger's boarding pass in Salt Lake City
Texas man Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, who allegedly snapped a photo of another passenger's boarding pass in an attempt to sneak onto a flight from Salt Lake City to Austin, Texas, was arrested Sunday. CREDIT: SLC Department of Airports/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX
A Texas man allegedly snuck onto a Delta Airlines flight in Salt Lake City using a snapshot of a passenger's boarding pass – he was only caught because the flight was entirely booked and he had nowhere to sit, according to federal prosecutors.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard of George, Texas, now faces a felony charge for being a stowaway on an aircraft, according to a police affidavit filed in federal district court.
Security footage from Salt Lake City's Department of Airports shows Fleurizard chatting with a male passenger beside him as groups were called to board the Austin-bound plane on March 17.
As the man stands up and unfurls his folded pass, Fleurizard can be seen pulling out his smartphone and snapping a photo. He then shakes the man's hand and lines up to board the plane.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, pictured wearing a green sweater, is accused of sneaking on board a flight by taking a photo of another passenger's boarding pass. Authorities say he was caught because the flight was full and he didn't have a place to sit. (SLC Department of Airports/Local News X/TMX )
The Texas man was seen on the footage allegedly photographing several other passengers' phones and passes at gate A2 of Salt Lake City International Airport when they weren't looking, according to the affidavit.
After boarding the craft, Fleurizard opened a door to a storage space for emergency equipment. A flight attendant, thinking he was confused, helped him to the lavatory at the front of the plane, according to the affidavit.
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Fleurizard can be seen shaking a passenger's hand after allegedly secreting a photo of his boarding pass. According to a police affidavit, he was seen taking photos of several passengers' passes. (SLC Department of Airports/Local News X/TMX )
Fleurizard spent a "significant amount of time" in the bathroom and did not lock the door. He then moved to the lavatory at the back of the plane as other passengers continued to mill inside, documents said.
He told a flight attendant that he was assigned to seat 21F as the plane began to taxi down the runway – but there was already someone else, a girl traveling alone, in that seat.
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Fleurizard is seen chatting with a male passenger before allegedly sneaking a photo of his boarding pass when he isn't looking. The Texas man said he had a buddy pass to get back to Texas via Southwest Airlines and grew impatient after two flights he attempted to take were full. (SLC Department of Airports/Local News X/TMX )
The flight attendant determined that the girl was a ticketed passenger, and that Fleurizard's name didn't pop up in records for the flight "or any other Delta flight for that matter," according to the document.
Fleurizard's arrest was also captured on Salt Lake City International Airport security footage. (SLC Department of Airports)
The plane was forced to return to the gate where Salt Lake City Police officers waited to arrest Fleurizard.
According to the affidavit, a friend gave Fleurizard a buddy pass for Southwest Airlines, but a flight the day before and a second flight earlier on March 17 were full. He had been rebooked on a flight later that day.
Fleurizard can be seen walking through airline security on March 17. Police wrote in an affidavit that he had a buddy pass from a friend, but had been unable to find an empty seat on a flight back to Texas since the day before his arrest. (SLC Department of Airports)
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Fleurizard said he had been in Utah for a snowboarding trip and was in a hurry to meet family members visiting him at his Texas home from Florida.
"Fleurizard admitted he had made a mistake and was only trying to get home," a Salt Lake City Police officer wrote in their affidavit.
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