Svetlana Dali, known as a stowaway, was arrested after sneaking onto another plane – National
A well-known body that was released after being caught sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris in 2024 was arrested again for crashing a flight from New Jersey to Milan.
Svetlana Dali, a Russian native living in the United States who was convicted in 2025 of charges of hijacking a flight bound for Paris without a passport or ticket and bypassing security, was arrested Thursday at Milan’s Malpensa airport, an official told the Associated Press.
FBI spokeswoman Emily Molinari said the agency’s Newark office was “aware of the alleged theft,” but did not immediately release additional details.
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United Airlines, which operated the flight, said it was “investigating the incident and cooperating with the appropriate authorities.”
Dali’s attorney, Michael K. Schneider, who is handling the appeal of the previous convictions, said he could not comment on Thursday’s incident, or whether Dali underwent a mental health evaluation as required by the terms of his supervised release.
“I can’t comment on what he has done since he was released. My office is handling the appeal, which is still being drafted,” Schneider said.
He was sentenced to a long term for the 2024 case.
According to NBC News, on his most recent unauthorized trip, Dali bypassed ticket agents to board a plane. By the time the crew realized that he had passed through the checks without a ticket, the plane was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, en route to Italy.
When he was questioned by the workers, Dali reportedly pretended not to hear the workers’ questions, according to an American newspaper.
Days before boarding the 2024 Paris flight, Dali sneaked through security at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, but was arrested before boarding. Earlier in 2024, he was caught by border agents hiding in a bathroom in a secure area of Miami International Airport.
Shortly after returning to the US following the Paris incident, he was arrested by the FBI and ordered to stay in Philadelphia.
Instead, he fled to Buffalo, NY, allegedly sprained his ankle and boarded a bus bound for the Canadian border. He was arrested while trying to cross into Canada.
Surveillance footage from the day of his flight to France shows Dali sneaking in with a group of ticketed passengers, allowing him to slip past Delta Air Lines staff without being spotted.
In court, Dali said he boarded the plane without being asked for a boarding pass. On the plane, prosecutors say he hid in a toilet for several hours and was not found until the plane was approaching Paris.
– Via files from the Associated Press
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