A man was found in the ceiling of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., last night after he entered a secure part of the airfield and took control of an airport vehicle.
According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the man was spotted by an airport operations employee around 5:30 p.m. Friday in an area only airport personnel are allowed to access. The man then took control of an airport vehicle and drove it to Terminal C, stopped at the gate and attempted to access a secure part of the terminal.
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At that point, the employee lost sight of the man and contacted emergency personnel, said the sheriff’s office. Then the airport’s emergency response system was activated. It was put on lockdown and evacuated around 6 p.m.
All air traffic was halted in the area, said ABC 7.
“Passengers outside the airport appeared to be sitting on the sidewalk as they waited for the lockdown to be lifted,” said the outlet.
Along with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center and the Orange County Fire Authority, conducted a sweep of the building. ABC 7 said police dogs and a helicopter were brought in for the search.
Eventually, they found the suspect in the ceiling of a non-secure area of the terminal. He was taken into custody without incident and will be booked at Orange County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Going forward, the sheriff’s office and John Wayne Airport Operations will investigate who the man is and how he entered the airfield.