Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, 26, was arrested for allegedly boarding a Delta Airlines flight in Utah using a photo of another passenger's ticket.
Fleurizard, who resides in George, Texas, had been in Utah for a snowboarding trip and was eager to return home as he had family visiting from Florida.
He was traveling via Southwest Airlines but soon learned the flight was full and ultimately rebooked for later that day.
Rather than waiting for the next Southwest flight, Fleurizard went to the Delta gate in the airport, where he was caught on video surveillance taking photos of several passengers' phones and their boarding passes while distracted.
He then proceeded to use the pictures on his own phone to board Delta flight 1683.
When Fleurizard boarded the flight, he went straight to the lavatory, where he hid for a "significant amount of time" while passengers continued to board, reported NBC News.
Once boarding was complete, Fleurizard made his way to the back of the plane when an attendant noticed there were no seats available on the flight and approached him.
But aircraft doors had been secured, and the plane began to taxi onto the runway.
He claimed that his seat was 21F, but the flight attendant verified that the seat was reserved for another person.
After taking his name, they were unable to find a valid ticket or reservation for him on that Delta flight or any other Delta flight.
At this point, the plane was forced to return to the gate where Fleurizard was escorted off the aircraft and met by law enforcement.
They first interviewed a Delta gate agent who disclosed that a minor female passenger traveling alone had an issue when attempting to scan her ticket. Once scanned, the system showed she had already boarded.
In security footage, Fleurizard is seen taking a photo of the girl's phone.
He told authorities that he received a Southwest buddy pass ticket for March 16, but as there were no available seats, his flight was rebooked for March 17, which also happened to be at capacity.
Though booked for another Southwest flight that day, he left the boarding area and approached Delta.
"Fleurizard admitted he had made a mistake and was only trying to get home," the complaint said.
Fleurizard is now facing a charge of a stowaway on an aircraft. The Transportation Security Administration said the man had been screened at the airport on March 17 without issue using a photo ID matching the name on the boarding pass.
He has an active warrant out of Austin Texas, according to court documents. While it's unclear what the warrant entails, Austin police flagged Fleurizard as "one having 'violent tendencies'"
He is currently being held in Salt Lake County on a federal detainer.
Delta is cooperating with the law enforcement and federal agencies in the investigation.
