A man has been ordered to pay American Airlines nearly $60,000 in restitution after breaching a secure entry point at Philadelphia International Airport and jumping on a plane without going through TSA screening last June.
The actions of Jonathan ‘Jon’ Beaulieu, 32, of Philadelphia, caused a major security alert as police officers frantically searched for him within the ‘sterile’ area of the airport.
It was eventually discovered that he had boarded an American Airlines plane, but by the time law enforcement got to the gate, the door to the aircraft had already been shut, and the pilots were preparing for departure.
Beaulieu was quickly apprehended, but the fact that he hadn’t gone through TSA screening meant that the plane had to be grounded so that it could be thoroughly searched. As a result, American Airlines was forced to cancel the flight at a cost of $59,143.
According to court documents filed in a Philadelphia courthouse, Beaulieu approached an exit control point within Terminal C at Philadelphia International Airport just after midnight on June 26, 2024.
Beaulieu told the security guard at the exit point that he had left his cellphone in the airside part of the terminal and had to return to retrieve it.
The security guard told Beaulieu that this wasn’t possible, but she contacted her supervisor to see whether police would be able to look for his phone.
When this request was denied, however, Beaulieu started to walk past the security guard.
The guard repeatedly told Beaulieu that he couldn’t access the terminal, at which point he slapped a $50 bill on her desk and asked if this would give him access. He carried on into the airside part of the terminal, prompting a security alert.
Airport security guards were able to trace Beaulieu using the surveillance camera system and eventually discovered he had boarded an American Airlines plane.
Beaulieu reached a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year, in which he pleaded guilty to entering an airport area in violation of security requirements.
On Tuesday, Beaulieu was sentenced by United States Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey, who ordered him to pay American Airlines $59,143 in restitution. He has also been placed on probation for one year.
