Man allegedly sneaks onto United flight to California, hides in bathroom

Authorities arrested a man after he allegedly boarded a flight for which he did not have a ticket and hid in an airplane’s bathroom to avoid being caught.

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On May 18, at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, security camera footage showed a man passing through the security checkpoint after talking with multiple Transportation Security Administration agents, according to court documents obtained by SFGATE. Footage then captured the man walking around the airport, the documents said, before he successfully boarded United Airlines Flight 469 to Los Angeles by allegedly pretending to show his boarding pass while gate agents were distracted.

After boarding, he allegedly sat in an empty seat before heading to the aircraft’s restroom. When he returned to the seat and saw that it was occupied, he allegedly hid in an aircraft bathroom again until flight attendants discovered him while the plane was taxiing for takeoff. 

When questioned by cabin crew, the man allegedly lied about his name to flight attendants and asked to sit in the jump seat, court documents show. When the crew members then checked the flight’s manifest, they discovered that the man’s pseudonym was not listed.

The pilot returned the plane to the gate, where the Houston Police Department, the FBI, TSA, Houston Airports personnel and the HPD Explosive Detection K-9 Unit awaited. The flight was delayed three hours following the alleged unlawful boarding.

In an emailed statement to SFGATE, the TSA said the man “presented a valid boarding pass,” went through the standard screening process and did not have any prohibited items. However, court documents state that the ticket used by the man “was missing key information and the QR code appeared to be forged.”

The man has been charged with impairing or interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility — a felony. During a hearing on Monday, KHOU-TV reported that defense attorney O.J. Lawal told the court that his client did not know the boarding pass was fake.

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“All of us can see the problem with using the internet to obtain a ticket when it’s not coming from the airline itself,” Lawal said. “And that is what the case is all about.”

According to court documents, multiple United Airlines employees confirmed that, though the man did have a valid reservation at one point, it was canceled after it wasn’t paid.

The courts set bail for the suspect at $15,000.