Teen eludes security, stows away on flight from Boston to London

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 30, 1999 by ALEXIS CHIU

The Associated Press

BOSTON -- A teenager who said he wanted to impress the Israeli intelligence agency sliced through a fence at Logan International Airport, settled into an empty seat aboard a British Airways jet and flew to London.

The airport, the airline and the boy, identified as 17-year-old Abraham Derman of Brookline, could be fined for the July 12 escapade.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, and the airline is considering asking the teen to come up with the $3,300 it would have charged a paying passenger who made his journey.

"We're treating it extremely seriously," British Airways spokesman John Lampl said Thursday. "The safety and security of our passengers is paramount."

Officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the airport, said the breach of security was rare but extremely serious. They declined to comment further Thursday.

People familiar with the investigation said the teen's journey as a stowaway began when he scaled a 10- to 12-foot fence, cut the barbed wire at the top and dropped onto the tarmac area north of the main terminals.

They said Derman walked about a quarter-mile to the international terminal, where he climbed a metal staircase leading to a jetway.

A jetway door, which is the airline's responsibility, is supposed to be locked. But the teenager apparently found it unlocked or open, and quickly boarded a Boeing 747 preparing for a trip to London.

Once on board Flight 214, Derman allegedly took a seat in the coach section but had to move when the rightful ticketholder arrived. He allegedly found an empty seat in the business section and settled in for the flight.

After landing at Heathrow Airport, the boy was confronted by officials after gaining access to a restricted area, according to the officials familiar with the case.

The next day, British Airways flew Derman back to Boston in coach class. He was detained and questioned -- though not arrested -- by state police. He told investigators he had thought the stunt would impress Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

Derman, accompanied by his father, also gave investigators a step- by-step account of how he penetrated security, including in a walking tour in which he traced his route to the plane.

The Boston Globe reported Derman is 17, but that couldn't be verified. Calls made to a Brookline residence listed under the name Derman weren't returned.

Part of the FAA investigation is likely to focus on the security measures taken by the airline. Airlines usually hand-count passengers and compare the number with the tickets collected at the gate.