[2] She has been widely dubbed a "real-life Ada Quonsett" after the infamous "harmless little old lady and habitual stowaway" character, played by Helen Hayes, from the 1970 movie Airport.
[2] Hartman is homeless and believes a worldwide conspiracy, operating with the permission of Barack Obama, has spent decades harassing her and that it triggers a "fight or flight" response that compels her to "get on a plane to go away.
"[1] In March 2022, Hartman pleaded guilty in Cook County Court to felony counts of criminal trespass and escape from electronic monitoring and was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
[6] On January 14, 2018, Hartman snuck onto a British Airways flight from Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow; prosecutors said that she had walked past two TSA Precheck agents by using her hair to conceal her face.
"[10] In March 2021, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn described Hartman's conduct as a "sad story" and that interviews with her revealed "no hint of menace, but plenty of pathos, paranoia, and confusion."
Zorn wrote that Hartman had revealed "holes and vulnerabilities in airport security" and that her case called for mental health treatment "in a safe, therapeutic setting" rather than imprisonment.