Marilyn Hartman
Marilyn Jean Hartman | |
---|---|
Born | 1951 or 1952 (age 69–70)[1] |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Stowing away on commercial airline flights |
Marilyn Hartman (born 1951 or 1952), known as the Serial Stowaway, is an American woman known for stowing away on at least 22 commercial airline flights since 2014.[2]
Hartman's attorneys said in 2021 that she is mentally ill and that her stowaway conduct is a compulsive behavior.[2] Hartman is homeless and believes a worldwide conspiracy, operating with the permission of Barack Obama, has spent decades harassing her and that it triggers a "fight or flight" response that compels her to "get on a plane to go away."[1]
Incidents[]
Hartman has stowed away, or attempted to do so, on at least 22 commercial flights from the airports across the US; of the incidents, eight occurred in Chicago-area airports.[2] In a 2021 interview, Hartman said that she had boarded flights without a ticket at least 30 times, and that her first successful stowaway flights were to Copenhagen and Paris.[2] Her first documented attempt was in February 2014, when she successfully passed San Francisco International Airport (SFO) security and boarded a flight to Hawaii; she was apprehended after the real ticket-holder arrived on board.[3] Three days later, she made another attempt at SFO but was stopped at the security checkpoint.[3] Two days later, she was discovered at SFO with another person's discarded boarding pass. [3]
On August 4, 2014, Hartman boarded a flight from Mineta San Jose International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport without a ticket. Flight attendants detected her upon landing in Los Angeles, and Hartman was arrested and charged with trespassing.[4]
On February 9, 2015, Hartman flew from Minnesota to Jacksonville, Florida without a ticket. She was arrested in Jacksonville after checking into a hotel under another person's name when that person arrived at the hotel. She was charged with fraud by impersonation and other crimes.[5] In February 2016, she pleaded guilty to trespassing but served less than a year in jail.[6] At the time, Hartman was living in a mental health facility in Chicago's Near North Side.[6]
On January 14, 2018, Hartman snuck onto a British Airways flight from Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow; prosecutors said that she had walked past two TSA Precheck agents by using her hair to conceal her face. Hartman had failed the previous day to board a flight to Connecticut, but had stayed overnight at O'Hare. Not having a passport, British immigration officials sent her back to the U.S., where she was arrested and charged with theft.[6] She pleaded guilty to one count of trespassing at an airport and the other charges were dismissed; Hartman was sentenced to 18 months' probation and mental health counseling, and was banned from being on any airport property without a valid ticket in her name.[7]
On October 11, 2019, Hartman was arrested while trying to pass through security without a boarding pass or identification, again at O'Hare.[8] At the time Hartman was still on probation from the London incident.[2] She was detained at the Cook County Jail until 2020, when she was released from jail as part of initiatives to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.[2]
On March 16, 2021, Hartman was arrested at O'Hare prior to reaching TSA checkpoints.[3] She was detected after she left the transitional housing facility where she was staying when her electronic monitor alarmed.[2]
Responses[]
In 2021 Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn described Hartman's conduct as a "sad story" and that interviews with her revealed "no hint of menace, but plenty of pathos, paranoia, and confusion."[9] Zorn wrote that Hartman had revealed "holes and vulnerabilities in airport security" and that her case called for mental health treatment "in a safe, therapeutic setting" rather than imprisonment.[9]
References[]
- ^ a b Eskanazi, Joe (2018-01-25). "'Serial stowaway': how does a 66-year-old woman keep sneaking on to flights?". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Marie Fazio (March 19, 2021). "'Serial Stowaway' Is Arrested at O'Hare (Again), 2 Days After TV Confessional". New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Katie Dowd (March 17, 2021). "Bay Area's most prolific stowaway arrested for 22nd time". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Kovaleski, Tony. "Stowaway Arrested at LAX After Boarding Flight from SJC". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Johnson, M. Alex. "'Serial Stowaway' Marilyn Hartman Arrested Again, This Time in Florida". NBC News. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Ford, William Lee, Liam (January 20, 2018). "'Serial stowaway' got past TSA, spent night at O'Hare before flight to London: Prosecutors". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "'Serial Stowaway' Marilyn Hartman Pleads Guilty, Is Sentenced to Probation". WMAQ-TV. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Lee, William; Williams-Harris, Deanese (12 October 2019). "Woman with long history of trying to sneak onto airplanes arrested again at O'Hare, Chicago police say". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b Eric Zorn, The sad story of serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman just keeps getting sadder, Chicago Tribune (March 19, 2021).
- 2014 in aviation
- American female criminals
- Aviation in the United States
- Homeless people
- Stowaways