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TMZ Sports
Passenger in 3B -- We Found Your Gold Medal

Posted Sep 15th 2008 5:28PM by TMZ Staff

Brendan HansenBrendan Hansen -- you are now free to move about the country ... with your Olympic gold medal.

A passenger who was on the relay swimmer's Southwest Airlines flight last night from Philadelphia to Austin has solved the medal mystery...a mystery that started when Hansen got off the plane and reported the medal missing.

Hansen says he put the medal in a bag under the seat in front of him and fell asleep. Then ... it disappeared. The FBI reportedly got involved in the investigation. No clue why this was an FBI case.

Here's what we know. The plane had a stopover in Nashville before going on to Austin. A passenger who got off the plane in Nashville found the medal and went to authorities. We don't know if that passenger took Hansen's bag off the plane or somehow just found the medal.

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1. 1st---GOLD

Posted at 5:36PM on Sep 15th 2008 by chicken stripper

2. I like how grateful he is for that Metal. So proud that he carelessly leaves it lying about

Posted at 5:38PM on Sep 15th 2008 by SoRude

3. Maybe it was taken by mistake or they had a change of heart either way they returned it . And I think they did a good thing.

Posted at 5:48PM on Sep 15th 2008 by hhubby

4. what does TMZ mean?


Posted at 5:57PM on Sep 15th 2008 by evadnejones

5. Brendan is not the type of guy that takes his gold medal for granted. I'm sure it was just a fluke mistake or someone took it and had a change of heart.

Posted at 6:02PM on Sep 15th 2008 by Jenna Wallace

6. TMZ means Thirty Mile Zone... the area in which they work.

Wikipedia:
'TMZ' stands for "Thirty Mile Zone," a term which originated in the 1960s. Due to the growth of "on location" shoots, studios and various talent guilds established a "thirty mile zone" -- outside of which shooting is considered to be a location shoot -- requiring per diems and other travel and living expenses to be paid. The zone remains centered in Los Angeles around the old offices of The Association of Motion Pictures and Television Producers at Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards in California. It was often said that "Everything entertainment happens in the 'Thirty Mile Zone.'" So essentially, the "Thirty Mile Zone" represents the center of Hollywood

Posted at 6:14PM on Sep 15th 2008 by Chaz

7. The FBI gets involved in any potential crime reported on an airplane. It is an issue of jurisdiction.

Posted at 6:25PM on Sep 15th 2008 by Craig

8. Isn't that something, he stated earlier that he last saw it when the TSA examined his bag. He quickly blamed it on the TSA worker, who more than likely is black or hispanic, since most of them are.......go figure!!

Posted at 9:19AM on Sep 16th 2008 by Wakeuppeople

9. Brendan Hansen who? Does anyone know who this guy is?

Posted at 7:35PM on Sep 15th 2008 by Andrea

10. Maybe he should have kept it around his neck like that gymnast (Alicia Sacramone) did at that restaurant the other night.

Posted at 7:42PM on Sep 15th 2008 by deedee

11. Wouldn't the FBI have been involved because the flight went over state lines??

Posted at 12:29AM on Sep 16th 2008 by Becci

12. The guy left his valuables unattended in public.
No sympathy here.
Should consider himself lucky he got it back....

Posted at 10:08PM on Sep 16th 2008 by Lulu

13. Waht a moron. He works his entire life to earn that medal and then loses it? It wouldn't have left my grasp.

Posted at 7:22AM on Sep 16th 2008 by Rob

14. What. A. Dumbass. I'd be showering with that thing on, let alone taking it off and placing it beyond arm's length and then GOING TO SLEEP!!! He just learned a valuable lesson.

Posted at 10:01AM on Sep 16th 2008 by yummi26

15. I think that the guy took it and when the FBI got involved, got cold feet and said he "found" it. The feds would of caught him and charged him with first degree robbery, a 5-10 bid, so he decided that he "found" it after sobering up, instead of keeping it. Where in the world could you get rid of such a HOT item anyways? The feds must have checked all on-line sellers plus the national pawn shop registry. The dude smartened up fast.

Posted at 11:31AM on Sep 16th 2008 by buffbodz

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