Fort Lauderdale man climbed barbed wire fence, boarded JetBlue plane at FLL and was found asleep, police say

A Fort Lauderdale man is facing felony charges after allegedly jumping a fence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, sneaking onto a parked JetBlue plane and falling asleep on board.

Samuel Prescott Lackey, 32, appeared before a Broward County judge to face charges of criminal mischief, burglary of an occupied conveyance, and interrupting or impairing critical infrastructure. His bond was set at $10,000.

According to an arrest report, surveillance video from a JetScape hangar captured a man matching Lackey's description walking along a service road near the airport shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday. The suspect climbed portable stairs that had been left against the plane for maintenance workers, entered the aircraft, and hid in the bathroom.

Investigators said the plane's door had been left open while it was parked at the JetScape hangar for maintenance. JetBlue employees discovered Lackey sleeping on the plane around 5 a.m. Sunday during a routine interior inspection before the aircraft was moved. He later admitted to climbing the fence, authorities said.

State officials noted that Lackey was on parole out of Louisiana for burglary. The incident caused a flight delay that cost JetBlue approximately $2,400, according to court documents.

The incident drew mixed reactions from travelers.

"Well, it sounds like we probably need better security, but also, you know what, I still respect the hustle," said Bri Scherer, a visitor from Atlanta.

"There's a security concern there because how he was able to do that I don't know, but I would be concerned that anyone was able to do that," said Timitry Ambroise, a visitor from New York.

The Broward County Aviation Department issued a statement following the arrest.

"Based on preliminary findings, an individual scaled an eight-foot fence topped with barbed wire along the perimeter of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to gain access to a private hangar and a JetBlue Airways aircraft, which was parked overnight for maintenance," the statement read. "The hangar containing this aircraft was in a remote location away from FLL's passenger terminal complex."

The aviation department added that it is cooperating with an active investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Security Administration.

JetBlue Corporate Communications also released a statement, saying, "The safety of our customers and crewmembers is JetBlue's first priority. We will assist law enforcement with any relevant investigation."

JetScape declined to comment.