Man flies from Peru to New York hid monkey under hat

A man smuggled a monkey onto a La Guardia-bound plane yesterday by hiding the baby marmoset under his hat, officials said

Photo: Man flies from Peru to New York hid monkey under hat

Passengers and crew on the Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale alerted authorities on the ground after the simian was seen playing in the man's pony tail.

"Other passengers asked the man if he knew he had a monkey on him," said Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Alison Russell, informs New York Post.

According to Mirror, he had apparently smuggled the monkey – a marmoset – on board when he began his journey in Peru. Officials can’t understand how he managed to avoid detection during a stopover of several hours at Fort Lauderdale in Florida .

Fellow passengers asked the man 'if he knew he had a monkey on him' according to an airline spokesman. The monkey spent the rest of the journey on the seat beside him.

He was questioned by police when the flight landed at La Guardia airport in New York and the monkey was taken into quarantine.

The tiny monkey, called a marmoset (like the one pictured top left) normally lives in forests and consumes insects and fruit. And with the U.S. terror alerts ongoing, questions are emerging about how the man managed to sneak such an obvious bit of contraband past customs officials at two American airports. The traveller has been taken into custody, although it's not clear if any charges will be laid.

As for the furry illegal alien, he's in quarantine for the next month while officials check him for signs of disease. It's expected he'll end up being housed in a U.S. zoo. Which should teach his would-be owner not to monkey around with authorities, informs City News.