"Serial Stowaway" Flew To England With No Passport Or Ticket

A woman dubbed the "serial stowaway" managed to evade security at Chicago's O'Hare airport and board an international flight to London, all without any identification or a boarding pass. Marilyn Hartman has a lengthy record of sneaking past security at airports across the country, according to the New York Times. She has been convicted of misdemeanors for criminal trespassing four times at O'Hare, and has attempted to breach airport security at least 18 times at multiple airports. 

How did Hartman manage to sneak past the TSA and gate agents to board the international flight? The New York Times spoke with officials who explained she just walked past security officials while they were distracted. Security footage shows her casually walking past TSA agents who were busy checking the ID's and boarding passes of other passengers. 

Once Hartman was past security, she attempted to board a flight to Connecticut. She was stopped by the gate agent, who directed her to sit down. After her attempt to board that flight failed, she spent the night in the airport. 

The next morning she boarded a shuttle to the international gates. Those shuttles are supposed to be for ticketed passengers who have a valid passport. Officials are unsure how she managed to board the shuttle without the proper documents. 

Once Hartman was at the international gate, she managed to sneak aboard a British Airways flight headed to Heathrow Airport. When the plane landed in London she was greeted by British customs officials, and sent back to Chicago where she was arrested and charged with "one felony count of theft and one misdemeanor for trespassing."

NBC Chicago reports "a judge set her bond at $25,000, with a provision for possible release on electronic monitoring." The Cook County Sheriff’s Office opposes her release saying "she is not an appropriate candidate for electronic monitoring and is in need of intense treatment." Hartman is still in jail because she did not have a place to stay in Cook County, which was one of the requirements of her release. 


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