Delta Passenger Crashes Stolen Tug at California Airport, Then Tries to Take a Lavatory Truck

By: Saajan Jogia Published: October 11, 2026 – 11:30 am Saajan Jogia October 11, 2026 Add MotorBiscuit as a preferred source A 26-year-old man who was scheduled to fly from Orange County to Seattle aboard a Delta flight from John Wayne Airport managed to steal an airline tug used to move airplanes and crash it. Later, he also tried to steal an American Airlines lavatory truck before being stopped by Airport Police Services.

ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported that the incident occurred on Tuesday at around 5:30 p.m., when the passenger allegedly entered the airfield through Gate 12.

He stole an Alaska Airlines tug and drove it for some distance before crashing it into another vehicle at Gate 7. Footage of him stealing the vehicle in question has surfaced on social media, raising security concerns. In the video, he can be seen reversing the tug out of its parking spot before disappearing from view as he continues backing up behind a parked aircraft.

As a result of the incident, airport officials said that the area around Gate 7 was closed for around 10 minutes. After the suspect’s attempt to steal a lavatory truck was foiled, he was taken into custody and later transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

Radio communication between an air traffic controller and one of the pilots has been shared by the report. When the pilot asked about the police activity near an aircraft, the controller said that “someone stole a tug.” They added:

“Yeah, looks like someone stole a tug, a security breach at the airport, someone stole a tug so they pretty much shut down, put a ground stop in effect.”

Air traffic was interrupted for a short period after a controller referred to a ground stop during radio exchanges, though authorities never formally imposed one.

Delta confirmed it was aware of what happened but left further comment to local airport officials and law enforcement. Airport representatives said the brief interruption did not disrupt operations across the facility.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ABC7NY (@abc7ny)

Although the video caption claims the passenger stole the tug for a joyride, the report does not mention this, leaving his motive unclear. Whether it was reckless behavior, a personal issue or something else entirely remains unknown.

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Home » Delta Passenger Crashes Stolen Tug at California Airport, Then Tries to Take a Lavatory Truck

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