Texan bumped from Salt Lake flights tried to fly home as stowaway, charges say
Mar 25, 2024, 5:53 PM | Updated: 5:54 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A Texas man is facing a federal charge after he claimed he kept getting bumped from his flights at the Salt Lake City International Airport, so he allegedly tried to sneak on a plane by taking a picture of a child’s boarding pass while she wasn’t looking.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard was charged Monday in U.S. District Court of Utah with being a stowaway on an aircraft.
On Sunday, Fleurizard boarded a Delta flight in Salt Lake City headed for Austin, Texas. After getting on the plane, Fleurizard was spotted opening the door to the emergency equipment storage area, according to charging documents. A flight attendant then directed Fleurizard to the bathroom at the front of the plane.
“Fleurizard spent a significant amount of time in the lavatory while others were boarding, and he did not lock the door while occupying the lavatory. After boarding was complete and just before the aircraft doors were secured, Fleurizard exited the front lavatory and made his way to the back of the aircraft and entered the (back) lavatory,” according to the charges.
When he got out of the bathroom, all the seats on the plane were full. Fleurizard claimed he was in a seat that was already occupied, but a flight attendant confirmed that it was not Fleurizard’s seat, the charges state.
Upon further investigation by searching his name, the flight attendants “were unable to locate a valid ticket or booking reservation for him.” The plane was forced to return to the gate where police were waiting for Fleurizard.
Officers went back and reviewed surveillance video and observed Fleurizard “in the boarding area taking photos of multiple passengers’ phones and/or boarding passes while they were not looking, including (a girl) passenger. The footage also shows Fleurizard using his phone as a boarding pass when he enters the plane,” according to the charging documents.
When the girl, who was traveling alone, attempted to get on the plane after Fleurizard, the system showed that she was already onboard.
After being taken into custody, Fleurizard agreed to talk to police. He said that he had been on a snowboarding trip to Park City, but needed to get home to Texas because his family was scheduled to visit from Florida. He was supposed to fly on a buddy pass on Southwest Airlines. But there were no available seats when he first attempted to fly home on Saturday, and his rebooked flight on Sunday was overbooked so he was not able to get on that one either, according to the charges.
He then left the Southwest boarding area and ended up in the Delta boarding area.
“Fleurizard admitted he had made a mistake and was only trying to get home,” the charges say.
Delta issued the following statement on Monday:
Delta is cooperating with law enforcement and relevant federal agencies regarding an investigation into a non-ticketed individual being escorted off DL1863 on March 17 aircraft in Salt Lake City prior to a scheduled departure. We defer any additional questions to law enforcement.
Contributing: Shara Park
