Airport evacuated before deputies find intruder hiding in ceiling, California officials say

A security breach Friday night forced John Wayne Airport officials to clear a terminal before sheriff’s deputies found the intruder hiding in a ceiling, officials say.

Workers first spotted the 51-year-old San Diego man driving an airport vehicle onto the tarmac in a restricted area outside the Santa Ana, California, airport’s Terminal C, KTLA reported.

The man, who was wearing a white jumpsuit, abandoned the vehicle and disappeared, prompting a lockdown of the terminal for a security breach at 6 p.m., KABC reported.

Passengers on arriving flights had to wait aboard their planes on the tarmac for the terminal to reopen, the Orange County Register reported.

After a search, Orange County sheriff’s deputies found the man hiding in a ceiling and arrested him, KSWB reported.

The man faces charges including trespassing and vandalism, the Orange County Register reported.

The airport resumed normal operations at 8:30 p.m., KTLA reported. The incident caused some flight delays, airport officials said.

This story was originally published August 22, 2021 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Airport evacuated before deputies find intruder hiding in ceiling, California officials say."