Video provided to NBC 7 San Diego by user Sarah Crawford shows a man who broke into the secured area of Lindbergh Field on Thursday, July 16 and twirled around on the runway. The breach of security delayed flights. In the video you can hear the pilot describe how unusual of an event this was.
A man was arrested Thursday for running onto the tarmac at San Diego International Airport.
The incident occurred just before 6 p.m. as planes were arriving and leaving Lindbergh Field.
The man allegedly jumped a fence at the east end of the runway and ran onto the airfield.
Harbor Police rushed to the area and took man in custody within five minutes, officials said.
A passenger on a plane that was taxiing at the time of the arrest captured the image while the aircraft was stopped on the tarmac.
Airport officials said flights were only delayed for approximately seven minutes.
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San Diego International Airport is located near the heart of downtown San Diego just north of the bay and west of Interstate 5.
In January 2013, a Marine recruit from the nearby U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) jumped two barbed wire fences to get onto the tarmac. The man was taken into custody without incident.
After that incident, NBC 7 Investigates obtained documents from the Harbor Police showing three accused intruders – all Marine recruits – were arrested between January 2013 and February 2014 for doing the same thing.
Glen Winn, an aviation security consultant who helped with an audit of Lindbergh Field, told NBC 7 Investigates airport officials have placed a police car on the runway to catch intruders faster.
