Woman caught on video boarding New York-Paris flight without a ticket: This is how she evaded security
Surveillance video shows Svetlana Dali sneaking past gate agents at JFK Airport and boarding a flight to Paris without a ticket. She faces charges of stowaway travel and is being held in Brooklyn.
A security camera at JFK International Airport captured 57-year-old Svetlana Dali slipping past two gate agents and joining a group of ticketed passengers on their way to board a flight to Paris. The incident occurred in November of last year, but the video was recently released following a public records request by The Associated Press.
The video shows Dali, wearing a gray hoodie and carrying a backpack, going unnoticed as other passengers presented their boarding passes. According to court documents, Dali had previously been turned away at a security checkpoint for not having a ticket, but she managed to enter a special employee line amidst an Air Europa crew and passed through security undetected.
She boarded the flight and was discovered mid-air
Svetlana Dali managed to board a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. According to authorities, it was during the flight that crew members noticed that the woman was not listed on the passenger manifest. French authorities were immediately alerted, and they detained her upon landing, before she could clear customs.
Dali later admitted to authorities that she had boarded the plane without a ticket and intentionally evaded airport security. She was deported to the United States, where she faces charges of traveling as a stowaway. She was initially released on an electronic monitor, but was arrested again after cutting it and attempting to cross into Canada.
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The legal process continues and a possible settlement is being negotiated
Svetlana Dali is currently being held in a federal prison in Brooklyn. Her trial is scheduled for next month, although both the prosecution and defense have indicated that a settlement could be reached before then. So far, her attorney has not commented publicly on the case.
The incident has raised concerns about airport security protocols, as Dali managed to evade multiple security checkpoints and board undetected. The Transportation Security Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have not issued official comments regarding possible system failures.