JetBlue employees conducting a routine inspection found something very surprising. A man was allegedly sleeping inside the bathroom of an aircraft parked near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Authorities identified the man as 32-year-old Sammuel Prescott Lackey of Fort Lauderdale. The unusual discovery happened early Sunday, Aug. 2, while the JetBlue Airbus A320 was undergoing maintenance.
Investigators say Lackey scaled an eight-foot airport fence topped with barbed wire before entering a private hangar area. He then allegedly used portable maintenance stairs to board the aircraft through an open rear door.
The incident disrupted JetBlue’s operations and prevented the plane from reaching its scheduled gate. Another aircraft had to replace it, and court documents valued the interruption at $2,400.96.
He allegedly hid inside the airplane bathroom
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According to ABC News, surveillance footage showed a person matching Lackey’s description walking near the Jetscape maintenance facility shortly before 10 p.m. Aug. 1.
The aircraft had been left with portable stairs beside an open rear door so employees could perform maintenance. Investigators say Lackey boarded the plane and hid inside its aft lavatory.
Maintenance workers finished their work around 4:25 a.m. They closed the doors and moved the aircraft to another parking space without realizing someone was still inside.
JetBlue employees discovered Lackey during an interior inspection around 5 a.m. The plane was parked in a remote maintenance area away from the airport’s passenger terminal complex.
The security breach is under federal investigation
Lackey was arrested and charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, criminal mischief and interrupting or impairing critical infrastructure. His bond was set at $10,000.
The Broward County Aviation Department said, according to CBS News, it is cooperating with an investigation involving the FBI and Transportation Security Administration. The department emphasized that the hangar was separated from the main terminal area.
JetBlue also said it would assist law enforcement with the investigation. The airline described the safety of its passengers and crew members as its top priority. No passengers were aboard the aircraft during the incident.