Notorious Stowaway Flies to LA, Ticket-Free

A persistent "plane hopper" has finally had success as a stowaway. Marilyn Jean Hartman, 62, made it past security at the Mineta San Jose International Airport yesterday—even though she didn’t have a ticket—and boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles, reports NBC Bay Area. Hartman has been arrested six times for similar, but failed, attempts at San Francisco International Airport. In February, she made it onto a plane bound for Hawaii but was caught before takeoff.

The jig was up this time when the plane landed at LAX and the flight crew did a head count … and found one head too many. Hartman apparently got aboard by slipping past a family having their tickets checked, reports the San Jose Mercury News. After her previous arrests, she had been ordered to undergo treatment at a mental health facility, though it's unclear whether she completed that treatment. Hartman now faces misdemeanor trespassing charges and is being held on $500 bail. (This is the second high-profile security breach at the San Jose airport in four months.)