Russian-Israeli Man Flies to the U.S. Without Passport, Visa or Plane Ticket — And Even the FBI Is Confused The man reportedly left Copenhagen on November 4 before landing in Los Angeles, California.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Preparing to take an international flight can be nerve-racking just based on the paperwork and documentation needed.
But for one man who traveled from Russia to the United States, it didn't seem to be an issue — he managed to successfully fly overseas without a passport, visa, or even a plane ticket.
Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava reportedly flew from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Los Angeles, California, on a Scandinavian Airlines flight on November 4 with no record of him ever being on the plane.
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The report states that while onboard, Ochigava ate two meals and interacted with the cabin crew and other passengers — thus, not trying to hide. When he arrived at immigration, he told authorities that he left his passport on the plane.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection found Russian identification cards, an Israeli identification card, and a photo of a passport in his belongings but discovered he was not listed as a passenger on the flight that had just arrived at LAX.
"The CBP officer had never encountered a situation where a passenger in the CBP inspection area was not in the CBP system," per court documents written by FBI agent Caroline Walling state.
But that's not even the most bizarre part of the story — Ochigava said he doesn't know how he got to the U.S.
"Ochigava claimed he had not been sleeping for three days and did not understand what was going on. Ochigava stated he might have had a plane ticket to come to the United States, but he was not sure," the affidavit says. "Ochigava did not remember how he got on the plane in Copenhagen. Ochigava 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."
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Scandinavian Airlines confirmed the news to Court Watch but didn't comment further and said the "matter is being handled by relevant authorities."
Ochigava, who told authorities that he is a Russian economist, is being charged with being a stowaway on a flight, though no further information has been released.
