Here is something to make you wonder about airport security: an air passenger was detained in New York after being caught with an unusual traveling companion — a spider monkey that he tried to hide under his hat, according to various reports.
The New York Times reported that the man boarded a Spirit Airlines flight in Lima, Peru, bound for New York. The flight crew only noticed the stowaway on the second leg of the journey after a plane change in Florida.
Other passengers first noticed the pint-sized primate.
“It was clinging to his ponytail underneath his hat,” airline spokeswoman Alison Russell said.
“How the passenger got through security, I can’t begin to say,” she told the newspaper. The unidentified man was questioned by federal officers, while his furry friend was handed over to New York officials.
The man was detained for further investigation.
Report by David Wilkening
