A 58-year-old Florida man is in custody after allegedly crashing his car through a secured gate and driving onto the runway at Daytona Beach International Airport. Authorities say he then tried to board multiple planes before being stopped.
The incident happened around 4:25 p.m on March 25, when a blue Ford Mustang smashed through a gate at the airport’s international terminal and made its way onto an active airfield. The driver, identified as Bryan J. Parker from Holly Hill, Florida, was reportedly heavily intoxicated at the time, according to People.
Officials from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office say Parker nearly collided with a plane preparing for takeoff before abandoning his Mustang and running toward another aircraft. When he couldn’t access the first plane, he reportedly tried again with another—until security stepped in and shut things down.
Body-cam footage released by deputies captures the tense moment officers located Parker on the runway and safely removed him without any injuries. Airport security managed to keep the situation contained until law enforcement arrived.
Parker allegedly told deputies he had been using both drugs and alcohol and couldn’t remember what led up to the incident. He now faces several potential charges, including attempted aircraft piracy, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, felony trespassing, and DUI-related offenses, though the investigation is still ongoing.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office credited the fast response from airport security for preventing what could have turned into a much more dangerous situation, noting that similar incidents have ended in serious injury in the past.
