Passenger arrested after breaching gate and stealing vehicle at John Wayne Airport airfield

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A passenger was arrested after he allegedly breached a gate at John Wayne Airport on Tuesday evening, ran into the airfield and drove around a stolen tug, officials said.

The 26-year-old man crashed the vehicle that was used to haul luggage and tried to take another vehicle in the airfield, but was detained by Airport Police Services, a spokesperson for John Wayne Airport said.

The incident took place at 5:30 p.m. when the Delta Airlines passenger, who was booked on a flight to Seattle, breached Gate 12 of the airport, the spokesperson said.

The man was identified as Skylar J. Barr, from Everett, Wash., according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Barr allegedly stole an Alaska Airlines tug from the field, crashed it into another vehicle near Gate 7, and then attempted to steal an American Airlines lavatory truck, but was taken into custody by airport police.

A John Wayne Airport spokesperson said Barr was taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated.

Barr was booked into Orange County jail Tuesday on suspicion of vehicle theft, vandalism and trespassing, said Sgt. Gerard McCann with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

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Salvador Hernandez is a reporter on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, he was a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News, where he covered criminal justice issues, the growing militia movement and breaking news. He also covered crime as a reporter at the Orange County Register. He is a Los Angeles native.

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