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Passenger Steals Airport Vehicle on Tarmac, Crashes It at California Airport, Official Says

Airport officials said the man crashed the tug into another vehicle and tried to steal a lavatory truck before police detained him.

  • On Tuesday, a Delta Air Lines passenger was arrested at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana after breaching Gate 12, stealing an Alaska Airlines tug, and crashing it into a vehicle near Gate 7, officials said.
  • The passenger, who was scheduled to fly from Orange County to Seattle, then attempted to steal an American Airlines lavatory truck before Airport Police Services took him into custody.
  • An air traffic controller radioed that "someone stole a tug," causing confusion about a ground stop, though officials clarified no official ground stop was issued during the incident.
  • The Gate 7 area closed for about 10 minutes while authorities responded, and paramedics transported the individual to a local hospital for evaluation following the crash.
  • Airport operations returned to normal shortly after the incident, and Delta confirmed awareness of the situation, referring questions to police regarding the security breach.
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A Delta passenger allegedly entered a restricted area at John Wayne Airport, stole a tow truck, and then crashed into another vehicle.

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New York Post broke the news in New York, United States on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
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