Man Ships Himself From N.Y. to Texas

AP via Excite News ^ | Sep 9, 7:43 AM (ET) | AP

[leadpencil1]

DALLAS (AP) - Charles McKinley found a unique way to save a few bucks getting to his parents' house: He crawled into a wooden airplane cargo crate and succeeded in shipping himself from New York to Texas.

After hours of traveling, McKinley, 25, of New York City, pried open the crate with a crowbar Saturday morning. He popped up outside his parents' doorstep in the south Dallas suburb of DeSoto, shook the hand of a shocked deliveryman and walked away.

The deliveryman called DeSoto police, who arrested him on outstanding Texas warrants. The FBI and the Transportation Security Administration are investigating.

McKinley has not yet been charged with a crime, officials said.

"It's amazing that the gentleman survived. It's absolutely a bizarre case," said FBI Special Agent Lori Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Dallas field office. "Our concern at this point is to determine how this was done."

Officials said McKinley's crate was put aboard a pressurized Boeing 727 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Fort Wayne, Ind. The crate was transferred to a second plane bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

A ground shipping company picked up the crate and delivered it to the residence of McKinley's parents. McKinley spent at least half a day in the crate and broke out just in time for the deliveryman to see him.

"We sure don't see something like this happen like this every day," DeSoto Police Chief Mike Brodnax said.

[Snowy]

I'd never do this, but what law did he break?

[Texas_Dawg]

Well... how much did it cost?

[dighton]

...

[Modernman]

Probably more comfortable than your average couch class seat these days.

[Charles Henrickson]

If he had just waited a few minutes until the deliveryman was gone, he would have gotten away with it.

[Marie Antoinette]

Sometimes, you just GOTTA go!

[Charles Henrickson]

Probably more comfortable than your average couch class seat these days.

I've never flown in couch class.

Sofa.

[Puppage]

[templar]

I'd never do this, but what law did he break?

Unless there's something new in the 9/11 aftermath security laws, all I can think of are the laws on theft of services they used to use against Hobo's jumping freight trains. He only paid for shipping freight, not transporting a person.

[FITZ]

Probably all the Homeland Security laws.

[Izzy Dunne]

what law did he break?

He was arrested on outstanding Texas warrants, meaning for previous crimes.
I don't think the shipping incident was a crime, although it's probably against the shipping company's rules (for insurance purposes).
But the beverage service was atrocious.

[Tijeras_Slim]

At the FEDEX rates I can get through work, I could ship myself for about a dollar a pound standard overnight.

[csvset]

I'd never do this, but what law did he break?

The TSA wasn't able to probe, question or strip search him. If you don't subject yourself to that, you might be a terrorist. /Tom Ridge, John Ashcroft mode

[Drawsing]

Groannnn! A groan is the proper response to a pun, but that doesn't mean its not clever...Good one.

[Charles Henrickson]

Now he's off to London!

[Hatteras]

"McKinley spent at least half a day in the crate and broke out just in time for the deliveryman to see him."

A half day shipping from New York to Texas via Indiana?! C'mon, really...

[sarasota]

See how easy it would be for a suicide bomber to get on board a transportation vehicle?

[mhking]

This sounds like an SNL or MadTV skit gone bad...

Just damn.

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