Nine-Year-Old Sneaks on Flight to Vegas Alone and Without a Ticket

A nine-year-old boy raised serious questions about airport security when he sneaked on a flight to Las Vegas from Minneapolis. Not only did the kid manage to get past the TSA and gate agents to board a flight without having a ticket, but he had also reportedly made a reconnaissance trip to the airport the day before the flight, during which he stole luggage from a baggage carousel at the Minneapolis airport. The kid left the stolen baggage unattended at an airport restaurant, and no alarms were raised, according to The Star Tribune.

The boy did go through security (who apparently didn’t notice or care that he didn’t have an actual plane ticket.) After he boarded the flight to Las Vegas, the flight crew eventually became suspicious because he wasn’t on their unaccompanied minors list, and so they turned the boy over to Las Vegas police when they landed. According to CBS Minnesota, when Minneapolis police went to the boy’s family’s house, his parents told officers they, “hadn’t seen much of him today.”

When CBS Minnesota asked the TSA to comment on the security breach, a spokesperson attempted to blame low-staffing due to the government shutdown, before sending a second e-mail clarifying that front-line officers are in fact working during the furlough.

According to the Star Tribune, the boy’s mother works at the Minneapolis airport, so investigators are looking into whether or not she was involved in the incident. The Star Tribune also reports that the boy has been in trouble before—he had been arrested for allegedly stealing a car two weeks ago.

• Man Sneaks Aboard Flight at JFK
• 62 Pittsburgh Airport TSA Agents Busted for Gambling
• Flyer Claims She Was ‘Violated’ During TSA Pat-Down

(Photo: Child Waiting at Airport via Shutterstock)