March 22, 2024
Wicliff Wves Fleurizard, 26, faces a charge of stowing away on a vessel or aircraft following the incident in Salt Lake City on March 17.
Daily Mail reported that Wicliff Wves Fleurizard, 26, faces a charge of stowing away on a vessel or aircraft following an incident in Salt Lake City on March 17. According to a criminal complaint filed in Utah federal court, Fleurizard took photos of unsuspecting passengers’ boarding passes and used his phone to board the flight to Austin, Texas.
The complaint alleges that Fleurizard spent a significant amount of time in the bathroom and only emerged once boarding was complete and the aircraft doors were secured. However, a flight attendant noticed there were no empty seats and discovered that he did not have a valid ticket, prompting the aircraft to return to the gate, where he was arrested.
Upon realizing boarding was complete, Fleurizard allegedly attempted to claim a seat at the back of the aircraft, but a flight attendant found that the assigned seat was already occupied by a passenger with a valid ticket.
Delta gate agents later revealed that a young girl had encountered an issue when attempting to board the flight, as the system showed she was already on board despite traveling alone. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Fleurizard taking photos of multiple passengers’ boarding passes, including the young girl’s.
Fleurizard claimed he needed to get home to see his family, who had flown in from Florida, stating he was given a Southwest ticket by a friend. However, he admitted to making a mistake and has since been held at Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
According to the Austin Police Department, Fleurizard has a warrant for his arrest for allegedly violating a protective order and has been described as having “violent tendencies.” He was previously arrested in June 2023 over claims of assaulting a family member, with the case still pending in Williamson County, Texas.
Fleurizard works as a global business solutions accountant at Apple, according to his LinkedIn page, and has been with the company since January 2022. Delta Airlines is cooperating with law enforcement regarding the investigation
