Dec 26, 2019 4 min read

While much of the rest of the world searched the midnight sky for Santa’s sleigh, Dominic Morra and his family were at Pittsburgh International Airport waiting for his father’s plane to land.

And what a Christmas present that was.

After being detained in Thailand for more than a month, Hanover Township fire Chief Michael Morra landed in Pittsburgh about 12:37 a.m. Christmas morning – safely returned to his anxiously awaiting wife and son.

“We found out last Wednesday that he could be returning home Christmas Eve,” said Dominic Morra Thursday of his father. “We were on pins and needles making sure he’d get home.”

Michael Morra, who works for General Electric, was in Thailand working on the country’s electrical infrastructure. It was supposed to be a two-week trip, but that changed when he was arrested at Bangkok Airport Nov. 23 for alleged possession of contraband. Airport security claimed to have found a single bullet in his checked luggage.

Dominic Morra said Thursday it’s been six weeks and five days since his father’s been gone. His mother, Stacy Morra, got to the airport early in anticipation.

“My mom was there three hours early,” Dominic said. “She just hung out at baggage claim.”

He took three planes to get home, with a layover in Atlanta. The fog Tuesday night delayed Morra’s final flight by a couple hours, Dominic said – the longest hours of their year.

Finally, they were reunited.

“It was very emotional,” Dominic said. “It definitely felt like a miracle – like there was a little Christmas magic involved. We’re just so happy that he did finally make it home safe.”

After 32 hours of traveling, Michael is jet-lagged and tired, but happy to be home, Dominic said.

“He’s doing good,” Dominic said. “He’s getting readjusted.”

He said his father has opened up a little about his time in Thailand and the court process and trial that had taken place. However, Dominic said they don’t yet have any new information to share.

“He didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of the trial,” Dominic said.

Washington County’s lawmakers, including state Rep. Joshua Kail, R-Beaver, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters Township, sent a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Thailand in support of Morra’s release. The letter referenced a trial scheduled for February.

Information on what led to Morra’s ability to return home was not immediately available Thursday, but Dominic said they still don’t know if there was an actual bullet in his father’s luggage.

“We have no idea if there was one or not,” he said.

Dominic said his father and their family are grateful for the support of loved ones and the community, including the more than $37,000 raised by a GoFundMe page. That money, he said will be used for the court and attorney fees, since the family was responsible for their own representation. It will also be used for medical expenses for Michael, Dominic said.

In a post on that page, Dominic thanked everyone on behalf of his father and their family.

“Your donations will be put to good use to assist my father with legal fees, uncovered medical bills and other resources to get my dad back on his feet after such a traumatic event,” he wrote. “Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Merry Christmas from the Morras.”

Dominic said his father especially has been moved by the community support he has received since his return. A local church near their Hanover Township home hung gold ribbons on the telephone poles through town leading up to their house as a “welcome home” gesture for Michael, who’s served more than 30 years in the fire department.

Dominic posted a photo to Facebook of his parents at the airport shortly after his father’s plane landed. The photo was shared more than 200 times and received more than 500 “likes.”

“My dad’s a very humble guy, so when he saw that 500 people liked our Facebook post, he was like, ‘I didn’t even think I knew 500 people,'” Dominic said.

They enjoyed a Christmas ham dinner that evening, during which Dominic said he caught his dad staring off into the kitchen.

“I asked, ‘Hey, you good?'” Dominic said. “He was like ‘I just can’t believe that I’m sitting here. I didn’t know when and if I’d ever be sitting in this dining room again.'”

Dominic said before his father’s detainment, he remembers his family discussing what they wanted for Christmas this year. At the time, none of them had any ideas.

“We all got the best Christmas present that we previously didn’t know we wanted,” Dominic said.