A 32-year-old man has been ordered to pay nearly $60,000 after he unlawfully boarded an American Airlines flight, resulting in its cancellation, as announced by the Justice Department.
Jonathan Beaulieu pleaded guilty to the incident that took place in June 2024 at Philadelphia International Airport. According to a security guard, identified only as J.M., Beaulieu approached the TSA exit lane around midnight, claiming he had left his phone in the terminal.
When the guard contacted the police, they informed her that they could not assist in searching for Beaulieu’s phone. Ignoring her instructions, he walked past the guard and entered the airport. As she repeatedly told him to stop, Beaulieu dropped a $50 bill on her desk and continued into the airport despite her calls to the police.
While officers searched for him in the terminals, Beaulieu managed to board a plane at Gate A-20. The American Airlines flight had already pushed back when the captain was alerted that a passenger had evaded security.
After the plane returned to the gate, all passengers were deboarded, and Beaulieu was arrested. His unauthorized boarding necessitated a complete search of the aircraft for security reasons, leading to the cancellation of the flight.
American Airlines reported that the cancellation cost $59,143, which Beaulieu has been ordered to repay. He was also sentenced to a year of probation for one count of evading airport security.