Epstein's Infamous 'Lolita Express' Jet Rots in Georgia, a Chilling Time Capsule
For nearly ten years, the Boeing 727 once owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has remained stationary on an outdoor tarmac in Brunswick, Georgia. Its once-gleaming white fuselage is now marred by dark streaks of grime, its engines have been removed, and its interior stands as a disturbing time capsule frozen in decay. Nicknamed the "Lolita Express" by media outlets—a label not found in official aviation records but widely cited in court documents and news reports—this 133-foot jet was described by federal prosecutors as a vehicle used to shuttle young victims between Epstein's various properties.
Aircraft of Power and Secrecy: Ownership and Design
The Boeing 727, an aircraft model nearly six decades old, was acquired in January 2001 by JEGE Inc., a Delaware-based corporation linked to Epstein and referenced in legal proceedings. Aviation records indicate Epstein maintained ownership for almost two decades. The plane's tail number, N908JE, with the final two letters widely interpreted as referencing his initials, was displayed on the fuselage and on monogrammed items within the cabin. Investigators reportedly discovered napkins in bathroom cabinets bearing "N909JE," the tail number of another aircraft associated with Epstein.
Epstein discreetly sold the jet in December 2018, merely months before his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and his subsequent suicide in custody, according to title history documents. The aircraft's last recorded flight occurred on July 11, 2016, traveling from Palm Beach International Airport to Brunswick Golden Isles Airport. Shortly thereafter, its three engines were stripped and sold. Without engines and with its registration expired since 2019, the plane is now incapable of legal or mechanical flight.
Decaying Interior: A Haunting Relic of Abuse
Entering via the rear staircase, which has reportedly been left open, visitors encounter what a New York Post reporter described as a "nose-curdling musty stench," exacerbated by near-total darkness as the aircraft has been without power since 2016. Inside, the jet's original layout remains visible: a bedroom, three separate sitting areas, two bathrooms, and a galley kitchen. The finishes, including polished wood, high-pile carpeting, mirrored walls, and upholstered seating, were once designed to convey exclusivity but are now coated with insects and mildew.
In the main bathroom, reporters found Johnson's-brand baby lotion and baby powder stored in cabinets alongside toiletries, monogrammed napkins, and paper towels marked with the aircraft's tail number. Moldy shaving cream cans, used toothbrushes, and orange-and-yellow hair ties lay scattered among dirty towels. In the solitary bedroom, where victims such as Virginia Giuffre have alleged abuse occurred, a king-sized mattress remained neatly made beneath a white comforter, with three emergency oxygen masks dangling overhead. A nightstand drawer contained what was described as a disassembled satellite phone.
The cockpit held a black landline handset with its cord ripped from the wall, shoved into a drawer, alongside a yellow emergency beacon labeled "N908JE" and expired registration papers. Other remnants included stacked black-and-white linen placemats in the galley, empty water bottles, an instant coffee tin, binders filled with flight manuals and aviation documents, and closets still stocked with books and files.
Notable Passengers and Ongoing Investigations
Flight logs have placed an array of high-profile individuals aboard the jet over the years, from former U.S. President Bill Clinton to the now-disgraced former British Prince Andrew. Prosecutors have stated in court filings that Epstein used the aircraft to transport victims between properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. While old photographs show Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell aboard, and another widely circulated image depicts Clinton seated in one of the red chairs with an unidentified woman on his lap, none of these images have been linked to proven criminal conduct by those pictured.
In the United Kingdom, Essex Police have confirmed they are reviewing information from released case files suggesting that Epstein arranged private flights into and out of Stansted Airport, allegedly to transport girls from Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote that documents indicated the jet made 90 flights to or from UK airports, including 15 after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Brown also claimed Epstein "boasted" about low airport charges at Stansted and described it as a transfer point between aircraft.
Current Status and Symbolic Grounding
In December 2018, Epstein sold the jet to World Aviation Services LLC, a Florida-based company. The owner later told reporters that the plane was initially purchased for resale or parts salvage but, upon learning of its connection to Epstein's crimes, decided to dismantle it. In July 2024, the aircraft reportedly changed hands again, purchased by Jet Assets Incorporated, a Laramie, Wyoming-based entity with little public information available. Individuals associated with the company have not publicly commented.
Despite initial plans for demolition, the jet has remained intact at Stambaugh Aviation, accruing an estimated $1,000 per month in storage fees, totaling tens of thousands of dollars over the years. Scott Stambaugh, who owns the aviation facility, told the New York Post that the aircraft is in "significantly degraded condition" and has sat for ten years without engines, making any restoration attempt "monumental" and prohibitively expensive. The plane is parked between aircraft formerly owned by actor John Travolta and fashion executive Peter Nygard, an uncomfortable proximity given the controversies surrounding both men.
From the exterior, the once-pristine white body is now streaked dark grey, weathered by southern humidity. The aircraft remains a physical artifact of Epstein's criminal network, with its interior slowly collapsing into decay under Georgia's harsh climate, symbolically grounded both physically and as a relic of a dark chapter in recent history.
