A Florida man was arrested on felony charges after allegedly climbing an eight-foot barbed wire fence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, entering a hangar, and sleeping overnight on a parked JetBlue airplane.
Samuel Prescott Lackey, 32, was taken into custody on August 1, facing charges including criminal mischief, burglary of an occupied conveyance, and interrupting or impairing critical infrastructure. According to reports, Lackey, who was on parole for burglary in Louisiana, admitted to scaling the fence.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed Lackey walking near a service road before he climbed the fence and entered a hangar. The JetBlue plane was undergoing overnight maintenance, and its door had been left open. Investigators said Lackey used portable stairs to board the aircraft and then concealed himself in a lavatory.
JetBlue employees discovered Lackey asleep on the plane during a routine interior inspection the following morning. The Broward County Aviation Department stated that the hangar was located in a remote area away from the main passenger terminal.
The incident caused a delay for a JetBlue flight, resulting in approximately $2,400 in costs for the airline. JetBlue Corporate Communications said the airline prioritizes customer and crew safety and will cooperate with law enforcement investigations.