Page 11 - IAV Digital Magazine #515

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
O'Hare Airport For 3 Months Before Detection, Says He Was Too Scared To Fly Due To Covid-19
By Anthony Mackle
A 36-year-old man lived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for 3 months before being discovered, Chicago Tribune reports. Prosecutors say that the man said to the police that he was too scared to fly because of Covid-19.
Aditya Singh had arrived from Los Angeles to Chicago on October 19, 2020. He then lived at Chicago’s O’ Hare Airport in the security zone for
three months before he was finally detected on Saturday. Two United Airlines employees had approached the man and asked for identification. Singh showed
them a badge that he had been wearing and it belonged to a person who was reported missing in October. This prompted the staff to dial 911 urgent- ly.
After he was found, Singh was charged with felony criminal trespass to a restricted area of an airport and misdemeanor theft. According to
Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Hagerty, Singh found the badge in the airport, and that he had sur- vived by taking food from passen- gers during the three months.
"You're telling me that an unautho- rized, nonemploy- ee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O'Hare airport terminal from Oct. 19, 2020, to Jan. 16, 2021, and was not detected?" Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz said to pros- ecutors in court Sunday, accord- ing to the Tribune.
"I want to under- stand you correct- ly."
The Chicago Department of Aviation, the agency that man- ages the city's air- ports, however, has since declared the man clear. They said that on basis of all evidence recovered, they can establish that the man in ques- tion did not pose a security risk of any sorts. The case still remains under investiga- tion, and it is unclear when Singh will be let go.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine