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A single mother said that SW Airlines accused her of child trafficking when she was flying from Florida to Ohio with her 4-year-old son to visit his father in the Cincinnati region.
As seen in the footage, Mary Bridgetta Tomarchio, 45, was approached by two armed police officers on February 17 at Cincinnati Airport following a pilot's suspicious report. She later addressed the matter by telling WXIX:
"As I’m in Hertz getting my car, these two officers come in, and they say, ‘Excuse me, ma’am. This child, we have reason to believe is not your child and that you’re child trafficking him."
Tomarchio further told a British media site that she initially felt the officers were just being funny, but that soon changed to fear when they interrogated her and demanded evidence that she was his mother.
Meanwhile, shortly after the news and the video of the SW Airlines was uploaded on X on March 3, it went viral. The netizens then took to the comment section of the post to criticize the authorities and the airlines for their action.
Netizens react as a single mother is accused of trafficking her child on a SW Airlines plane
According to sources like The Express, Bridgetta Tomarchio, a single mother, was halted at the Cincinnati airport by two police officers after a pilot of SW Airlines allegedly accused her of trafficking children.
Tomachio said that she and his son visited the boy's father in Ohio at least once a month, sometimes twice. According to media sources like WAFB, that's what she was doing on the SW Airline when the cops came up to her and accused her.
As per the viral footage, an officer questioned Tomachio and asked:
"So we just got a couple of calls. Is this your son?"
When Tomachio replied that he indeed was, the officer continued:
"I don’t know exactly what was going on, but the pilot was worried about possible traffic."
He went on to say that they were merely reacting to a call. Then he requested for the identification. Tomachio acknowledged a physical difference between her and her son, Lucian Merk, as she is a brunette and he is blonde. Additionally, since he shares his father's last name, he also has a distinct last name.
However, she declared the SW Airline incident unacceptable and urged the industry to implement appropriate protocols. As per sources like Black Newser, she said:
"The unfair accusation left me feeling humiliated and emotionally traumatized and highlights a problematic pattern of discriminatory behavior towards single parents, particularly those who do not share the same surnames or physical appearance as their children."
According to the same source, she further added:
"It is unacceptable that today a single mother traveling with her child can be attacked and accused of such a heinous crime” based only on unsubstantiated rumors and lacking any evidence."
On the other hand, following the event, Tomarchio talked to WAFB about the authorities and SW Airlines and shared her experience. She said:
"It's traumatizing. I’m shaking inside, like thinking to myself, ‘What did I do?’ I don’t even understand what could have possibly happened."
In the meantime, once the video went public on X, netizens took to the comment section of the post to criticize the authorities.
Meanwhile, a representative for SW Airlines refuted reports that any of its staff members were engaged in this. According to The Express, the airline also released a statement that read:
"Calls made to local authorities appeared to have been placed by an individual or individuals who are not affiliated with Southwest Airlines. These are serious allegations, and we appreciate the patience from the Customer to allow us to look into these claims."
On the other hand, according to WXIX, a police dispatch report claimed that a pilot placed the first contact. However, it did not identify the airline that the pilot was employed for.
