A male in Florida who managed to climb the fence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and made his way onto a parked JetBlue aircraft is now facing several charges after he appeared before the Broward County judge this week. Known as Samual Prescott Lackey, the 32-year-old was found on the JetBlue plane at 5:00 AM on Sunday, August 2.

Lackey is now facing charges of criminal mischief, burglary of an occupied conveyance, and interrupting or impairing critical infrastructure. The bond for Lackey is set at $10,000. Video footage, which was captured on a camera from JetScape’s hangar at Fort Lauderdale, outlines the man’s description walking along a service road in the dark at around 10:00 PM on Saturday, August 1, before it is alleged that Lackey climbed portable stairs that were left by the JetBlue aircraft.

Found Taking A Nap Onboard The JetBlue Airbus A320

Credit: Shutterstock

In a report by CBS News, Lackey climbed the portable stairs to the parked aircraft, which were left by the plane by maintenance workers. He then made his way into the plane and hid in the bathroom, where he was found sleeping by JetBlue employees at 5:00 AM. Lackey was out on parole from Louisiana for burglary.

Once JetBlue located the man and alerted authorities, this subsequently caused a delay to the JetBlue flight, which the airline now is claiming cost the New York-based airline around $2,400, according to court documents. This incident has raised eyebrows as to the airport’s perimeter security, and the fact that Lackey was able to make his way unnoticed past several hangars and onto the parked aircraft. Broward County Aviation Department shared the below statement following the arrest:

“Based on preliminary findings, an individual scaled an eight-foot fence topped with barbed wire along the perimeter of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to gain access to a private hangar and a JetBlue Airways aircraft, which was parked overnight for maintenance, The hangar containing this aircraft was in a remote location away from FLL’s passenger terminal complex.”

An Active Investigation Is Ongoing

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It appears that Lackey was able to successfully scale the eight-foot perimeter fence that is around Fort Lauderdale Airport, which is topped with barbed wire. Once over, Lackey sneaked his way into a private hangar where the JetBlue aircraft had been parked. The airplane was undergoing maintenance at a remote location, which was a distance away from the passenger terminal complex.

JetBlue has released a statement following the event, noting that the carrier plans to assist law enforcement with any relevant evidence or information to support the investigation. The airline reiterated that the safety of both customers and crewmembers is JetBlue’s priority.

When someone scales an airport perimeter fence, this usually will trigger an immediate security response. Under US federal law, trespassers can face criminal prosecution. Unauthorized movement on an airport tarmac can lead to catastrophic safety risks, such as in Denver, where an individual gained access to the airport grounds before being hit by a plane.

Person Dies After Hit By Plane At Denver Airport In May

Credit: Denver International Airport

In May, a 41-year-old was killed after a fiery collision at Denver International Airport (DEN). The individual scaled the airport’s remote fence before walking out onto the runway. The security breach went unnoticed until he was hit by the Frontier aircraft. There was no note from the victim; however, the cause of death was declared as suicide.

The collision involved the Frontier aircraft, resulting in an engine fire and requiring the passengers onboard to evacuate the plane. 12 people onboard sustained minor injuries from the incident.

Both the Denver and Fort Lauderdale incidents highlight the importance of airport security and ensuring that any perimeter breaches are identified quickly and that individuals are aware of the immediate safety concerns to both themselves and other aircraft that have passengers and crew onboard. Lackey now faces a string of charges and fines for his overnight escapade into one of Florida’s busiest airports.