Russian man flew to LA with no ticket, no passport, and no idea how he got there

Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava, a Russian economist, boarded a flight from Copenhagen to Los Angeles without a ticket, passport, or any other official record of his presence on the plane. Authorities have been perplexed by the mystery surrounding this unusual occurrence.

Facing charges of being a stowaway by the FBI, Ochigava claimed to have no recollection of how he passed through security without a ticket. However, this case deviates from the conventional understanding of stowaways, as the Russian/Israeli dual national experienced a peculiar journey. Despite lacking proper documentation, he received five-star treatment on the flight, enjoying double meal portions and even attempting to indulge in the chocolate meant for the cabin crew.

The circumstances surrounding Ochigava’s unauthorized presence on the flight raise questions about security protocols and how he evaded standard checks. As investigations unfold, the aviation community is left grappling with the perplexing details of an individual who seemingly defied the norms of air travel without arousing suspicion.

Airline staff told the FBI that ‘nothing seemed amiss’ about Mr Ochigava’s behaviour during the flight, although he did not present a boarding pass and tried to switch seats at several points during the journey.

Upon arriving at LAX, Ochigava disembarked normally and presented at customs.

But when border security officers held him up at immigration, he told them he was a Russian economist with a PhD and that he had left his passport on the plane.

However, no such document was found on the craft, and a search of his bags later turned up ‘Russian identification cards and an Israeli identification card,’ and a partial photograph of a passport.’

When interviewed by two FBI agents, Ochigava said he had ‘not been sleeping for three days’ and appeared to have no idea what was going on.

‘Ochigava stated he might have had a plane ticket to the United States, but he was unsure. Ochigava did not remember how he got on the plane in Copenhagen,’ wrote FBI agent Caroline Walling. 

‘He also would not explain how or when he got to Copenhagen or what he was doing there. When asked how he got through security in Copenhagen, Ochigava claimed he did not remember how he went through security without a ticket.’

A search of the stowaway’s camera roll on his phone later showed pictures of ‘television screens displaying flight information for flights flying all over the world’ taken at Copenhagen’s CPH airport.

‘Other photographs consisted of screen grabs from the “Maps” app showing a hostel in Kiel, Germany, and street maps from an unknown foreign city.’

A spokesperson for Scandinavian Airlines told CourtWatch: ‘I can confirm there has been an incident where a passenger has been involved in the below scenario departing from Copenhagen with an SAS flight. 

‘Relevant authorities are handling the matter in the US and Denmark, and we cannot further comment. It’s the authorities who will have to give further details.’

Ruth Adams

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