Police said a man scaled the fence surrounding Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday afternoon before running across taxiways and runways, eventually sitting beside a plane waiting for takeoff.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Atlanta police said Jhryin Jones, 19, ran was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing, public indecency, and obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Airport officials initially said in a post on Twitter that a passenger exited a plane while it was stopped on a taxiway after arrival.
But later, the airport said: “There are conflicting reports as to how the male apprehended on the airfield accessed the airfield. He is currently in custody.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control system command center’s airport status updates, there was a security-related gate hold and taxi delays of 16 to 30 minutes affecting departures Tuesday afternoon.