A 32-year-old man was arrested after allegedly breaching a secure maintenance zone at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and boarding a JetBlue Airbus A320 parked at the JetScape facility. He is accused of climbing an 8-foot barbed-wire fence, entering the aircraft and falling asleep in the lavatory until workers found him during a morning inspection, disrupting a JetBlue flight and triggering a federal security probe.
Broward County aviation officials confirmed the security breach and said the hangar area was remote from the passenger terminal. The FBI and the Transportation Security Administration are investigating the incident, which local reports linked to Samuel Prescott Lackey. Court filings cited by reporters put the cost of the disruption at about $2,400 and show a $10,000 bond.
The case also raised questions over access controls in maintenance areas where aircraft are parked outside the main terminal complex. Reports said maintenance crews had left portable stairs in place, which the suspect allegedly used to board the jet. He faces charges including burglary of an occupied conveyance, criminal mischief and interrupting or impairing critical infrastructure.