A 26-year-old Washington man has been arrested after allegedly stealing an airport tug vehicle and taking it on a joyride across the tarmac at John Wayne Airport in Southern California.
Skyler Jay Barr, 26, of Everett, Washington, was taken into custody Tuesday evening on suspicion of vehicle theft, vandalism and trespassing, according to Sgt. Gerard McCann, a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The incident unfolded around 5:30 p.m. At the Orange County airport, where Barr had reportedly been waiting for a flight.
Barr allegedly slipped through a restricted door leading outside the terminal, then headed down a flight of stairs onto the airport ramp, a secured zone reserved for authorized ground crews who maneuver vehicles and equipment around aircraft. From there, authorities say he hopped aboard an airplane tug parked near Gate 12 and sped away.
Video of the escapade shows Barr careening around the tarmac, at one point coming dangerously close to an Alaska Airlines plane. He drove the stolen tug toward Gate 7 and eventually into the American Airlines area, where he allegedly attempted to climb into one of the airline’s vehicles. Along the way, he crashed into another vehicle and also tried to steal a lavatory truck, the specialized vehicle used to service airplane bathrooms.
The entire ordeal was brief. “Probably about 10 minutes to when he was arrested,” Marisa Unvert, communications manager for John Wayne Airport, told the California Post.
Barr never managed to get into the American Airlines vehicle before authorities caught up with him. He was transported to a hospital for evaluation and treatment of injuries sustained in the crash before being booked into jail. It remains unclear whether Barr was intoxicated during the incident.
The airport ramp is strictly off limits to passengers, designed only for authorized personnel moving baggage, fuel, food and other supplies to aircraft. Barr’s alleged breach of that restricted zone and subsequent vehicle theft triggered a rapid law enforcement response to the busy Southern California airport.