A 36-year-old Californian managed to live at O’Hare International in Chicago for three months, according to prosecutors and the Chicago Tribune.
Aditya Singh, 36, was charged with felony criminal mischief in a restricted area of an airport and burglary.
According to police, Singh went to O’Hare on October 19, but was afraid to fly home because of the coronavirus.
“It shows how things can slip through cracks,” said transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman. “You have an idea at the airport and you can go weeks undetected. It’s really remarkable that in the present and the age and safety, that was happening.”
On Saturday, two United Airlines employees approached Singh and asked for his ID. He showed a badge, but actually belonged to an operations manager who had reported him missing on October 26th. Employees called 911.
“Certainly a lot of people look back and are embarrassed, door agents, who probably saw this individual,” Schwieterman said.
Singh said he was able to survive by getting food from other passengers.
“There’s no real security risk here, that’s the good news,” Schwieterman added. “It just shows how different parties can not talk to each other, question themselves.”
The Chicago Aviation Department, which oversees the city’s airports, issued the following statement about the incident:
“The CDA has no higher priority than the security of our airports, which maintains a coordinated and multi-layered police network. Although this incident is still being investigated, we have been able to determine that this gentleman posed no risk to the security of our the airport or the traveling public. We will continue to work with our law enforcement colleagues on a thorough investigation into this issue. ”