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Fake Airline Pilot Who Caught Jumpseat Faces Charges

** The fake pilot was allegedly inspired by
the film Catch Me if You Can**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • An Italian man, inspired by the film "Catch Me if You Can," was arrested for impersonating an airline pilot.
  • He created a fake persona with homemade uniforms and IDs, successfully gaining access to the cockpit jumpseat on at least one European flight.
  • Authorities were tipped off by an aviation enthusiast and subsequently arrested the man at Turin Airport, where he now faces charges of impersonation and endangering air transport security.
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An Italian man inspired by the film Catch Me if You Can was arrested over the weekend for impersonating an airline pilot in a ruse that allowed him to catch the jumpseat on at least one European flight.

The unidentified 32-year-old man allegedly created a mock persona as Lufthansa pilot Andrea Sirlo using fake IDs and a homemade pilot uniform in his efforts to pull off the scheme, according to a report by the BBC. The man went so far as to create a Facebook page under the alias, posting pictures of himself in uniform along with supposed flight attendant friends.

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