Svetlana Dali, a mentally ill stowaway who sneaked onto a flight to Paris last year, is back to her plane-hopping ways. Authorities in Italy arrested Dali on Wednesday after she slipped onto a flight from Newark to Milan, according to law enforcement sources.
Dali didn’t let her stowaway conviction last year or her federal probation clip her wings. On Wednesday, she got past the gate to board United Airlines Flight 19 without a ticket, the sources said.
Airplane staff noticed her at some point, and she was taken into custody at Malpensa Airport, the sources said. It’s not yet clear if she’ll face charges.
Transportation Security Administration officials and the Port Authority police at Newark International Airport are reviewing surveillance footage to see how she got past security and got onboard.
“She must be some kind of freaking magician,” said one source with knowledge of the case.
Port Authority representatives declined comment and referred all questions to TSA and United Airlines.
United Airlines representatives offered no details on what happened, except to say, “Safety and security are our highest priorities. We are investigating this incident and working with the appropriate authorities.”
A United spokeswoman referred all additional questions to “law enforcement,” but didn’t specify which agency to direct those questions to. TSA officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Dali was sentenced to time served in July of last year, two months after a federal jury found her guilty of stowing away on an aircraft. She captured national attention by managing to board Delta Flight 264 to Paris without a ticket or boarding pass on Nov. 26, 2024.
At her sentencing, she told U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly that criminals were poisoning her and that her actions were aimed at saving her own life.
Dali suffers from a “delusional disorder,” according to a filing by her defense lawyer.
Dali made two other stowaway attempts, one at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., just 48 hours before her JFK trip, and the other at Miami International Airport in February 2024, according to prosecutors.
Dali was supposed to be re-arrested by the Connecticut State Police after her sentencing because of a pending criminal case over the Bradley attempt. But Connecticut authorities didn’t come to get her after her sentencing, and she was released from federal custody.
Dali could face charges in Brooklyn Federal Court of violating her supervised release when she’s returned to the U.S.
