A gentleman from Russia enjoyed himself on a flight last month from Copenhagen to Los Angeles, eating meals and chatting with fellow passengers as well as the crew — but how he got on the plane is a mystery.
In fact, economist Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava somehow boarded the Scandinavian Airlines flight allegedly without a passport, visa, or even a plane ticket, and is now considered a "stowaway," even though he was in plain sight for the entire flight.
Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava faces a charge of being a stowaway on an aircraft related to a Nov. 4 flight, but according to a report by Jason Koebler published jointly by 404 Media and Court Watch, he "was not a stowaway in the traditional sense."
"[Ochigava] seemingly interacted with flight crew, ate two meals on the plane, spoke to other passengers on the flight, and, at one point 'attempted to eat the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew,' Koebler wrote. "The affidavit states that 'most' of the crew noticed him on the plane, and said he was sitting in a few different seats, but that nothing else seemed amiss." …
Ochigava was not on the flight's manifest, nor was he on the passenger list of any other international flight. …
At first, Ochigava told CBP officials that he left his passport on the plane, but no document was found. Further complicating matters, Ochigava wasn't in the CBP system at all, something "the CBP officer had never encountered," [FBI agaent Caroline] Walling wrote.
"Ochigava claimed he had not been sleeping for three days and did not understand what was going on. Ochigava stated he might have had a plane ticket to come to the United States, but he was not sure … When asked how he got through security in Copenhagen, Ochigava claimed he did not remember how he went through security without a ticket," Walling wrote.
"Everyone involved is very confused," said Koebler, including, apparently, the passenger himself.
