A female stowaway skulked past multiple security checkpoints at New York’s JFK International Airport and onto a Paris-bound Delta Airlines flight without a boarding pass or identification.
The flyer took advantage of the holiday madness and bypassed two identity verification sections of the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint line Tuesday, the agency confirmed.
Passengers are required to provide their IDs at those checkpoints before moving on to their gate.
The female stowaway caught a free flight from New York to Paris before getting caught in the bathroom. AFP via Getty Images“TSA can confirm that an individual without a boarding pass completed security screening (including on-person and bags) without any prohibited items,” a TSA spokesperson told The Post.
“The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft.”
The unidentified stowaway was eventually discovered in the bathroom by a flight attendant toward the end of the more than seven-hour flight, according to a passenger.
The flyer was caught in the bathroom. robjacksonnyc/Instagram
Flight crew saw the stowaway walking from one bathroom to another. robjacksonnyc/InstagramA first-class passenger on the flight documented the kerfuffle on Instagram, explaining that flight attendants became suspicious when the stowaway was walking from one bathroom to another.
“Soooo…we landed in Paris and the crew told us we had to remain seated while the French border police come onto the plane,” the passenger wrote on Instagram.
A first-class passenger documented the discovery on Instagram. robjacksonnyc/Instagram“We somehow flew all the way from New York to Paris with a stowaway. This woman somehow got on the plane and hid in a lavatory during takeoff and wasn’t detected until we were about to land.”
Federal authorities launched an investigation after the aircraft landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
Law enforcement sources told The Post Thursday that the stowaway was denied entry to Paris and would be returned to New York — likely on Friday — where she would be arrested by Port Authority officers for theft of service, plus a host of other charges.
The unidentified stowaway will also face federal charges that are to be determined, according to sources.
When asked for comment Thursday, Port Authority declined to comment further. Inquiries sent to the FBI and the Department of Justice went unanswered.
“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement.
The stowaway took advantage of the holiday madness and bypassed checkpoints at JFK Airport. Bloomberg via Getty Images“That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.”
