The FBI is currently investigating a situation where a man, identified as an unticketed passenger, was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight at Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday morning.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Wicliff Fleurizard, 26, of George, Texas, was arrested by officers after being removed from Flight 1683, which was bound for Austin.
The complaint states that Fleurizard had a boarding pass to pass through security but not for the specific flight he boarded.
Fleurizard mentioned to the police that he was in Utah for a snowboarding trip to Park City but needed to return home to see family members who had flown in from Florida. He stated that a friend gave him a free “buddy pass” for Southwest Airlines, which he used to pass through security. However, the flight he intended to board was full, so he went to the Delta gate instead.
The complaint reveals that Fleurizard was caught on security camera video taking pictures of other people’s boarding passes without their knowledge and likely used one of those pictures to board the Delta plane. He attempted to stowaway in both the front and rear lavatories but had to come out as there were no available seats. Flight attendants noticed the issue as the plane was taxiing, prompting the plane to return to the gate.
“Fleurizard admitted he had made a mistake and was only trying to get home,” according to the complaint.
Officers from the Salt Lake City Police were called to a gate in the A Concourse by the airline around 10:30 a.m. local time due to an “on-board incident involving Mr. Fleurizard while the aircraft was preparing to depart,” CBS News reports.
Delta mentioned in a statement that they are cooperating with law enforcement and relevant federal agencies regarding the investigation into a non-ticketed individual being escorted off an aircraft in Salt Lake City. Additional questions were deferred to law enforcement.
The Transportation Security Administration stated that the suspect was screened without incident at the security checkpoint using a photo ID that matched the name on the boarding pass.
“The passenger had a boarding pass. We don’t confirm flight details of individual travelers,” a TSA spokesperson stated.
However, Delta informed CBS News that he “did not have a ticket for DL1683, operating SLC-AUS on March 17.”
The suspect is currently being held on a federal detainer at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, as per police records. Flight 1683 departed around half an hour late.
The FBI declined to provide further comments on the situation. Last month, a woman managed to board an American Airlines flight from Nashville to Los Angeles without a boarding pass. The TSA confirmed the incident and mentioned that the woman was apprehended by the FBI at LAX on Feb 7.
— additional reporting by Brian Dakss
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