What we know about the Delta stowaway who bypassed multiple checkpoints to get on a flight to Paris

CNN
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Investigators are trying to determine how a woman got past several security checkpoints this week at New York’s JFK International Airport and boarded a flight to Paris, apparently hiding in the plane’s bathrooms during the flight.

the stowaway did not have a boarding pass but completed a security screening and bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations to board a Delta flight, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Tuesday’s incident happened on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Almost 2.7 million passengers traveled by air that day, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, according to TSA data.

Here’s what we know:

the stowaway did not bring any prohibited items, according to a TSA spokesman.

It is unclear how the person was able to bypass boarding stations before boarding the plane.

Delta is working with law enforcement and conducting its own investigation, the airline said.

“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security,” a Delta spokesman said in a statement. “That’s why Delta is conducting a full investigation into what may have happened and will work with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to do so.”

CNN has reached out to the FBI and Customs and Border Protection for more information.

the stowaway is a woman between 55 and 60 years old and has a Russian passport, according to a Paris airport official. She will be sent back to the United States soon, the official said.

The woman was in a waiting area at Charles de Gaulle airport – known as ZAPI – for people awaiting deportation as she does not meet the conditions to enter Europe. The woman applied for asylum in France several years ago, the official told CNN.

When asked, the source did not address the woman’s mental state.

Once the woman is returned to the United States, the TSA could issue a civil penalty and authorities in New York could arrest her, although they are not currently involved, a federal official familiar with the investigation told CNN. The TSA is conducting its own investigation into the incident, the official noted.

New York City real estate agent Rob Jackson was on the Delta flight when the stowaway was discovered, and told CNN that passengers were asked to remain seated after landing so police could board the plane.

“I did not actually see the person in question. Apparently she hid in a toilet all the way in the back of the plane when we left JFK,” Jackson said. “The first notice to the passengers that there was a problem was when we parked at the gate and they instructed us all to to remain seated because French police had to board the plane to deal with ‘a serious security issue’.”

Jackson recorded a video in which the flight captain can be heard saying, “Guys, it’s the captain, we’re just waiting for the police to come on board. They might be here now, and they asked us to keep everyone on the plane until we sort it out additional passengers who are on the plane.”

The plane was full and there were no extra seats for the stowaway, Jackson said.

“I overheard the flight attendants talking about it with the pilots – they said this person was in a toilet and then would go out and go to another toilet and go in there for a long time,” he said.

CNN’s Lex Harvey and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.