Delta stowaway suspect accused of another escape act after removing her ankle monitor and trying to flee to Canada
YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
- Svetlana Dali was charged with being a stowaway on a Delta Air Lines flight to Paris.
- On Sunday, she removed her ankle monitor, an arrest warrant said.
- Several outlets reported she was arrested on a Greyhound bus headed to Canada.
The woman accused of being a stowaway on a transatlantic Delta Air Lines flight was arrested after trying to sneak out of the country again, law enforcement sources told several outlets.
After being charged earlier this month, Svetlana Dali was released but ordered to wear an ankle monitor, according to court documents seen by Business Insider.
On Sunday, she "removed her location monitoring bracelet and absconded," an arrest warrant said.
CNN first reported that Dali's roommate reported her missing after finding her ankle monitor on the floor. It added that Dali was taken into custody on Monday while on board a Greyhound bus headed to Canada.
An official told The New York Times that Dali had a ticket for the ride — unlike last month's Delta flight.
She appeared in court in Buffalo on Tuesday, and a hearing for violating the terms of her release is scheduled for Friday in Brooklyn.
The Delta incident
57-year-old Dali made headlines when she was charged earlier this month with being a stowaway on an aircraft.
The criminal complaint against her says she confirmed in an interview that she boarded a Delta flight to Paris without a boarding pass or passport.
It adds that Dali was first turned away from a security checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport as she couldn't show a boarding pass.
Five minutes later, she was successful as she entered via a special lane for airline employees after blending in with a group of flight crew members, the complaint says.
Dali is said to have then boarded Flight DL264. The complaint says Delta staff realized she was on board the plane before landing, and French authorities determined she didn't have a boarding pass or passport.
The incident occurred on November 26. The 2.7 million passengers that passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints that day was a record for a Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
In a statement previously shared with BI, Delta thanked French and US authorities for their assistance. The airline said a review found its security infrastructure was "sound" and the incident was caused by a "deviation from standard procedures."
"We are thoroughly addressing this matter and will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement, and other relevant stakeholders," the statement added. "Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security."