Late passenger runs onto airfield at Phoenix airport, attempts to stop plane
A woman (not pictured) was arrested on Sunday after breaching doors leading to the airfield in an attempt to stop a plane. (Photo by Caitlin O’Hara/Getty Images)
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(NEXSTAR) – A woman who was late for her flight at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona was arrested over the weekend after running onto the airfield in an attempt to stop the plane.
Vickie Meyers, 53, of St. Louis, Missouri, was arrested on Sunday and charged with criminal trespassing in a critical public service facility, according to court documents provided by the Superior Court of Arizona.
Police say Meyers, who was late for her flight, had arrived at her gate on Sunday afternoon to find the door to the jetway had closed. She then “decided to run through the double glass doors separating the passenger area and the secure airfield,” and “ran” down a flight of stairs to her plane, according to a statement from the arresting officer included with the court documents.
She also ran past signs reading “no trespassing” and “felony” in both English and Spanish, the officer wrote.
Meyers was heading toward the nose of the aircraft before airline staffers were able to make contact and remain with her until police arrived, the Phoenix Police Department said.
She later told the arresting officer she was “attempting to have the plane stopped so she would not miss her flight,” according to police.
Meyers has been released on her own recognizance and permitted to return to St. Louis. She is due back in Arizona for a hearing in January.