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A Delta Air Lines passenger told ABC News that a man followed her family around the terminal before boarding the same flight as them without a ticket for it.
Lauren Benton, her husband, and their children, aged nine and six, were flying from Washington Dulles International Airport to their home in Georgia on August 2.
She told USA Today that the man seemingly followed her and her daughter into the bathroom.
"My heart started beating immediately — I didn't know what this man's intentions were," Benton told ABC News. "He was standing in the ladies room washing his hands, and I was immediately alarmed."
Benton said that the man even appeared to follow the family onto their flight and sat down in the same row.
She told ABC News that her husband confronted the man, who claimed it was his allocated seat. But when they called over a flight attendant who requested to see his boarding pass, he couldn't show one, she added.
The man was subsequently escorted off the flight.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration told the outlets that the man had a valid ID and boarding pass for another flight that day, which is how he got past the security checkpoint.
The man has not been named.
In a statement to several outlets, Delta said it is investigating the matter and has been in contact with airport authorities.
"Delta has processes in place for gate agents and flight crews to verify that individuals onboard aircraft prior to departure are customers that are booked on that particular flight," it added.
Delta and the TSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Business Insider outside US working hours.
In a statement shared with BI, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed that police were called to the gate of a departing Delta flight.
"Police addressed the customer and no charges were filed," they added. "The passenger exited the aircraft and returned to the terminal to continue their journey."
USA Today reported that authorities said the man appeared to have mental health issues.
A number of similar incidents have been reported in recent months, with automated ticket gates and tailgating of other passengers linked to them in a number of instances.
On August 4 and 5, the same man managed to sneak onto two planes at Munich Airport in Germany. On the second occasion, he flew to Sweden before raising suspicions as he immediately wanted to return to Munich, Bild reported.
In March, a man was arrested after prosecutors said he boarded a Delta flight using a photo of another passenger's ticket.
A month earlier, another man boarded a flight at London Gatwick Airport by tailgating other passengers through checkpoints.
