WINGS CLIPPED

Serial Stowaway Blames TV Station for Her Return to Airport

Marilyn Hartman’s attorney claims an interview with her that aired sent her into a mental health tailspin.

An Illinois woman dubbed the “serial stowaway” for her history of trying to sneak onto flights is blaming a TV news station for her decision to leave a residential facility without permission—and head for Chicago’s O’Hare airport. A lawyer for Marilyn Hartman, 69, says seeing an interview with herself on WBBM sent her into a tailspin that ended with her arrest Tuesday at the airport train station. While the attorney said the interview was unauthorized, the Chicago Tribune reports that the station says it has Hartman on tape agreeing to it. A prosecutor said that Hartman’s repeated security breaches are a serious issue. “At some point, [if] she continues to be where she shouldn’t be, she’s going to touch something she shouldn’t touch and somebody’s going to be hurt,” he said. The judge sounded exasperated with Hartman, telling her, “You didn’t just go for a walk, you went to the one place you specifically can’t go.” He set bail at $100,000.