Frenchman impersonates US Airways pilot and sneaks into cockpit
Caught you because we could: Cops bust Philippe Jernnard LaRocelle for criminal trespassing after he sweet-talked his way into a US Airways cockpit while wearing an Air France pilot’s uniform.
It seems no-one can compare to Frank Abagnale.
Frenchman Philippe Jernnard LaRocelle was busted impersonating a pilot when he sneaked into a US Airways cockpit on Wednesday.
The 61-year-old had donned an Air France pilot's uniform to gain access to the flight deck for the trip from Philadelphia to Palm Beach, Fla.
WPVI reports he boarded with a ticket, and managed to sweet-talk his way to the front of the plane — sitting down in a jump seat behind the captain.
But, unlike master conman Abagnale, who pretended to be a Pan Am pilot to fly across the globe, LaRocelle failed to produce the proper verification showing he worked for Air France.
And so he was asked to leave the zone and take his allocated seat.
Cops were called and found he'd taken off his uniform.
But they found a fake crew badge in his bag.
Escorted from the aircraft, he was charged with criminal trespassing, breaking into a structure, forgery-alter writing, tampering with records or ID and false impression.
He was also accused of showing false identification to law enforcement, and is being held on $1 million bail.
Abagnale's story was immortalized in the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie "Catch Me If You Can," where he was played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
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