Man Arrested After Allegedly Stealing Tug at John Wayne Airport

Authorities said the suspect breached a gate and took control of the transporter before crashing it into another vehicle.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, October 08, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An unusual situation unfolded Tuesday evening at the airport in Orange County, California. [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

A Delta Air Lines passenger, Jay Barr, breached security at John Wayne Airport (KSNA), stealing an Alaska Airlines tug, crashing it, and then attempting to commandeer an American Airlines lavatory service truck.
Airport police services arrested Barr, who was subsequently transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
The incident prompted a temporary ground stop and reduced air traffic to the gate area, but airport operations resumed quickly with minimal overall disruption.

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An unusual and potentially dangerous situation unfolded Tuesday evening at John Wayne Airport (KSNA) in California.

Airport police services arrested a Delta Air Lines passenger who breached a gate, stole an Alaska Airlines tug, crashed it, and then attempted to commandeer an American Airlines lavatory service truck. The passenger was later identified by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as 26-year-old Jay Barr.