An unusual and potentially dangerous situation unfolded Tuesday evening at John Wayne Airport (KSNA) in California.
Airport police services arrested a Delta Air Lines passenger who breached a gate, stole an Alaska Airlines tug, crashed it, and then attempted to commandeer an American Airlines lavatory service truck. The passenger was later identified by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as 26-year-old Jay Barr.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior, and we take all incidents seriously,” Delta said in a statement shared with CNN. “Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement.”
Audio on the ATC.com app captured a pilot and air traffic controller discussing the incident.
“Hey, ground…do you know what’s going on with the vehicles behind us with all the law enforcement?” a SkyWest pilot asked around 5:50 p.m. PDT.
“Yeah, looks like someone stole a tug,” a controller replied. “There was a security breach at the airport and someone stole a tug, so they pretty much shut down and put a ground stop in effect.”
KTLA 5 News reported that the incident did not disrupt airport operations, and CNN reported that aircraft resumed moving around the airfield after crews inspected the taxiway between gates 7 and 12 for debris and hazards.
Another SkyWest pilot told air traffic control that they were instructed to “taxi slow,” and a controller responded that the “security incident” prompted ATC to reduce traffic to the gate area.
An airport spokesperson told KTLA 5 that Barr breached an access door at gate 12 around 5:30 p.m. and stole the tug before crashing into another vehicle near Gate 7. He was then transported to a local hospital for evaluation following his arrest.