Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Father of teen stowaway says he’ll bring son home

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The father of the teenager who climbed into the wheel well of a jet at the San Jose airport and survived a 5½-hour trip flight to Hawaii says he plans to fly to Hawaii soon to bring his son home to California.

Abdulahi Yusuf said in a statement issued through a family spokesman Sunday that he's excited to get his son home and was relieved to hear of his safety. The boy remains hospitalized in Hawaii.

The family is from Somalia, and the father says his 15-year-old son is "struggling adjusting to life in this country." He says his son didn't receive formal education in the war-torn African nation, where the boy's mother remains in a refugee camp.

The teen lived through the flight a week ago despite incredibly low temperatures and low oxygen.

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