This 19-Year-Old Accidentally Jogged Into US From Canada, She Ended Up Spending 2 Weeks In Jail

A French teenager was out for a leisurely beachside jog in Canada when, much to her horror she landed up getting detained by US official for something that she did accidentally.

AFP

Cedella Roman, a 19-year-old French citizen, was reportedly jogging along the beach near White Rock, British Columbia, when she shifted onto an unmarked dirt path to avoid the high tide.

She reportedly paused to take a picture of the scenery and when she turned around to head back, she was approached by two U.S. Border Patrol officers, reports AFP.

"An officer stopped me and started telling me I had crossed the border illegally," Roman told CBC. "I told him I had not done it on purpose, and that I didn¡¯t understand what was happening."

She wasn't carrying her I.D. at the time, was staying with her mother in North Delta, British Columbia.

Roman spent two weeks in a large room filled with about 100 ¡°migrants¡± and 60 beds.

¡°We tried to help each other, there was a good atmosphere,¡± she said. ¡°Seeing people who had come from Africa and elsewhere locked up for trying to cross the border, it put my experience into perspective.¡±

19-year-old Cedella Roman was out for a jog when she accidentally crossed the border and was detained for two weeks. https://t.co/9U2Mggo1z7

¡ª COED.com (@COED) 22 June 2018

Her mother Christiane Ferne reached the centre with her passport and study permits after two days. But red tape took over and employees at the site said the documents would have to be verified by Canadian authorities.

¡°Since I am not Canadian, it took time¡± said Roman. She was finally held for two weeks before the matter was resolved and she was allowed to return to Canada.

All charges against her have been dropped, but she has been banned from travelling to the United States.