The 11-year-old made it to the airport on a bus. He made it through the security checkpoint. He even made it all the way to the gate before trying to sneak on a Delta Air Lines flight with a family — on his own and without a ticket.
That’s what authorities say happened Friday afternoon at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after the boy left his Clayton County home.
After the security screening, a Transportation Security Administration officer asked the boy where his parents were, the TSA said in a statement to AJC.com.
“At that point he left the checkpoint. We alerted the ATL Department of Aviation and then worked with the airport and police to be sure he was located,” the TSA said.
Channel 2 Action News reported that the boy tried to blend in with a family to board a plane, but the family said they didn’t know him. The boy reportedly took off, but officers eventually found him.
By around 5 p.m., “Atlanta Police got a call from Delta Air Lines employees that an unaccompanied 11-year-old had tried to board one of their planes without a boarding pass,” according to Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos. “Officers spoke with the boy to make an effort to locate his family.”
A TSA spokeswoman told Channel 2 the boy didn’t have to show identification at security because he’s a minor. She also said he was not a security threat because he was screened at the checkpoint.
The child’s mother declined to comment to the news station.
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