A man was only caught stealing from other passengers’ hand luggage on a flight from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh after he drew attention to himself when he started to vape in the bathroom.
Jaymer Ferrell, 23, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of theft on an aircraft after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. He was sentenced to time served, along with one year of supervised release, including 90 days of home detention, and ordered to pay a $250 fine.
According to a police arrest report, flight attendants called ahead to have law enforcement meet the aircraft on arrival at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) on April 9, 2025, because Ferrell had been spotted vaping in the bathroom.
While en route to the gate, the officers were told that Ferrell had allegedly been throwing the belongings of other passengers around the cabin and even having a domestic argument with his partner on the plane.
Flight attendants told the officers that they first noticed Ferrell rifling through several bags in the overhead locker. He claimed he had lost his wallet but declined assistance to help locate it.
During the flight, Ferrell kept going to the bathroom for long periods of time, drawing suspicion towards him, and eventually leading the flight attendants to catch him vaping in the bathroom.
To make matters worse, his partner then became angry at text messages she found on his cellphone from other women. An argument ensued, and Ferrell allegedly started to throw his partner’s belongings around the cabin.
Ferrell was initially taken into custody because he had an outstanding arrest warrant, but when they got him back to the police station and searched him, they discovered a credit card and a debit card belonging to two of the passengers on the plane.
During his booking-in procedure, Ferrell ended up being tasered after he allegedly attempted to assault a guard. Just before catching the flight from Los Angeles, he had been released from custody on charges of assaulting his partner.
Prosecutors did not reveal which airline Ferrell was flying with.
