- Lauren Benton says an unknown man stalked her family through the airport
- He then sat in the same row as her children on a Delta flight
A mother of two says she knew something was wrong when a strange man sat next to her children on a flight from Washington DC, while they were en route home to Georgia.
Lauren Benton told USA Today that she, her husband Nathan, and their two children — ages six and nine — were flying home from Dulles International Airport on August 2 when a man near the TSA checkpoint began following them to their gate.
The unknown man even followed Benton and her daughter into the ladies’ room, she claimed.
“My heart sank,” Benton said. “We tried to give our children the impression that they were always safe.”
He then continued to stalk the family as they boarded their Delta flight during early boarding and sat down in their row, before being forcibly removed.
An unidentified man was forcibly removed from a Delta Airlines flight at Dulles International Airport on August 2
Benton said she and her husband initially tried to remain calm so as not to upset their children.
But when the man boarded and sat down next to them, she knew she had to do something, because her children were becoming increasingly anxious.
She then called a flight attendant and discreetly informed them of the situation, after which the man was escorted off the plane, USA Today reports.
Investigation revealed that the man did not have a boarding pass for the flight to Georgia, but did have a boarding pass and valid identification for another flight that day.
The plane then had to be evacuated and a security check was carried out, which Benton said took between one and a half and two hours.
Lauren Benton says the man stalked her family from the TSA checkpoint to their gate
The TSA later told Benton it was investigating the incident, but said in a statement to USA Today that there were no security breaches at the checkpoint because the man had a valid boarding pass and identification.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates Dulles International Airport, also confirmed that the man was escorted off the plane but said no charges were filed and that he ultimately continued on to his final destination.
Authorities also noted that the man appeared to have mental health issues.
Delta Airlines said it is investigating how the man was able to board the plane without a valid boarding pass.
“Delta has processes in place to allow gate agents and crew members to verify that individuals on board the aircraft prior to departure are customers booked on that particular flight,” a spokesperson said.
‘Delta is investigating the matter internally and has been in contact with the airport authorities in connection with this assessment.’
Airport officials confirmed the man was taken off the plane but said no charges have been filed
But Benton says she doesn’t understand how such a security breach could happen.
“People who should be on the plane should have been on the plane by themselves,” she complained. “I would like to know how this could have happened.
“We’re living in a post-9/11 era. People think that something like this isn’t possible, but it’s absolutely possible.”
She went on to say that she sympathizes with the man’s mental health issues, but she will not allow mental health to be used as an excuse for the [compromising] of the safety of my family.’
Benton also said she hopes stakeholders will work to ensure something like this never happens again.
In the meantime, she and her family will develop their own safety plan, she said.
“Don’t be too complacent,” Benton now warns other passengers.
“Be prepared to speak out.”