Man arrested for scaling fence at LAX, running onto the tarmac and doing push ups in front of plane

Man scales an 11ft barbed wire fence at LAX, runs onto the tarmac and performs push ups in front of a plane before being arrested in front of baffled passengers

  • A man who ran onto an LAX runway to perform push ups on tarmac was arrested
  • The unidentified man performed the stint in front of a departing Delta Airlines jet
  • He was taken into custody but his motives for bizarre stunt still remain unclear

A man who scaled an 11-foot-tall barbed wire airport security fence, before running onto the tarmac to perform a series of push ups in front of a departing plane, was arrested in front of baffled passengers.   

The unidentified man was seen scaling a security barrier near Sepulveda Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue near the Los Angeles International Airport just before 1.30pm on Monday, LAX Airport police spokesman Rob Pedredon said.

Soon after, the runway bandit was spotted running across the runway about 1.40pm near a Delta Airlines jet that was preparing to take off.

This photo, taken by Chad Ridgley through the window of a Delta Airlines jet, shows police officers arresting a man they say jumped a fence and ran onto a runway at LAX on Monday

‘Bizarre travel day here at LAX,’ Delta Airlines passenger Zach Wigal tweeted from his seat.  

‘Right now sitting on a plane that was readying for takeoff. Someone ran onto the tarmac and apparently tried to stop / jump onto our plane.’

Another passenger, Chad Ridgely, said the man ‘ran onto the runway and started doing push-ups’ before he was ‘swiftly apprehended by LA Airport police before he could transition to sprints.’  

The bizarre incident forced the runway to close for about 20 minutes while the plane was given a mechanical check before it was allowed to depart.

The intruder is reportedly a middle-aged homeless man with a history of mental health issues, CBS Los Angeles reported.  

He was taken into custody and is expected to be booked on suspicion of trespassing and possibly other offenses.

It is not understood what his motives may have been and a mental health evaluation was also likely, officer Pedregon said. 

 

  

 

Advertisement

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk