Homeless Woman at San Jose Airport Boards Plane without a Ticket

Homeless Woman at San Jose Airport Boards Plane without a Ticket

San Jose airport officials and the Transportation Security Administration are downplaying the fact that Homeless Woman at San Jose Airport Boards Plane without a TicketMarilyn Hartman, a 62-year-old homeless woman and well-known trespasser boarded a plane and completed a flight without a ticket on Wednesday of this week. Their explanation was that the stowaway posed no security threat because she passed a TSA screening.

Each time I fly, I must present my boarding pass to the TSA agent before I am asked to remove my shoes, place any liquids and computer into a tray, slide the trays through the X-ray machine along with my travel bag while I walk through a metal detector. So, how was all this possible for Hartman without a boarding pass?

There are critics to what happened. Rep, Eric Swalwell, the only California congressman on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, said, “The woman [referring to Hartman] was harmless, but there are people who I don’t want on an airplane even if they go through security screening, who the public doesn’t want on an airplane.”

Come to find out, Hartman has been arrested seven times this year for trying to sneak onto flights at San Francisco International Airport. She bypassed two ticket checkpoints and went undetected for an entire trip from San Jose to Los Angeles while flying on Southwest airlines. And, she was caught aboard another airline earlier in the year when a passenger claimed that she was in his seat.

Supposedly this time, Hartman was able to sneak past the TSA ticket checkpoint after three failed tries, blend in with a family and slip past the guard. At that point, she tried to board an Alaskan Airlines flight, but was not allowed, so she blended in with other passengers boarding a Southwest flight, successfully getting past the gate agent.

Hartman has explained to authorities that she has cancer and she just wanted to go somewhere warm. After pleading no contest, she was released on the condition that she must stay away from the airport unless she has a legitimate boarding pass.

Heart stings have been pulled by many who have read her story and a gofundme.com has been set up to gather enough money to send Hartman to Hawaii as well as help with her cancer treatments. If she doesn't have cancer, the funds will be donated to UCSF oncology. So far, $415 has been raised.

Image courtesy of San Mateo County Sheriff's Office via The San Francisco Examiner.)

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Nothing Artificial About this Intelligence

    I have been looking forward to this year’s GSX show in New Orleans, the Cresent City, or if you prefer The Big Easy. It seems like quite a while since we’ve been here. Twenty years ago, ASIS, as it was known then was literally washed out of the city by someone known as Katrina. It is a good thing to come back to NOLA. Read Now

  • From Monitors to Mission Control

    Security Operations Centers (SOC) were once defined by rows of static monitors, each displaying a single feed with operators quietly watching for issues. That model has become obsolete. Incidents evolve too quickly, data comes from multiple locations, and decisions must be made in seconds—not minutes. Read Now

  • New Gas Monkey Garage Venue Uses AI-Enhanced Video Technology

    Gas Monkey Garage, the automotive custom shop and entertainment brand founded by Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud TV fame, has opened a vibrant new restaurant and bar in South Dakota, equipped with advanced, AI-enhanced video tech from IDIS Americas. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.