Man arrested after allegedly sneaking onto United flight with fake pass

A fake boarding pass, a cleared TSA checkpoint and a three-hour flight delay put Houston airport screening procedures under a harsh spotlight. Abdulrahman Oluwatumike Oriyomi, 25, was arrested after allegedly sneaking onto United Flight 469 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on May 18, even though the flight was bound for Los Angeles and scheduled to leave around 9:45 a.m.

Court documents say Oriyomi first passed through the TSA checkpoint at Terminal C, where he presented identification, was escorted to another TSA booth, had his photo taken and was allowed through security. Investigators say he then moved through the airport, was turned away at one gate after his boarding pass would not scan, later approached another gate, waited until gate agents were distracted and allegedly proceeded down the jetway while pretending to show a boarding pass.

The boarding pass itself is now central to the case. Investigators said it appeared fraudulent because key information and a QR code were missing, and a Bush Airport representative also determined it was fake. The episode raises blunt questions about where the security chain broke down, from checkpoint screening to gate access to boarding verification.

Once aboard, the disruption only became clear after the plane began taxiing. A passenger told investigators that Oriyomi first sat near her, then moved to the restroom after the seat’s actual occupant arrived. Flight attendants reportedly discovered someone inside the restroom, checked the passenger manifest and determined he did not have an assigned seat. The aircraft returned to the gate, all passengers were removed, and law enforcement including the Houston Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration and airport authorities responded while the plane was investigated and reportedly checked for explosives.

The case has become an accountability test for both airport operations and airline gate security. Former Secret Service agent Michael Matranga called the episode “I think this is a pretty significant breach, not just because of the fact that he ended up on the plane,” and said airport personnel should be retrained. Houston Airports said it operates and maintains the facilities, while security screening is carried out by federal and local authorities, a division of responsibility that now sits at the center of the public scrutiny.

Oriyomi faces a felony charge of impairing or interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility. A warrant for his arrest was issued Monday, and he was arrested Friday and taken into custody after the delay, the search and the removal of every passenger from the aircraft.