A 36-year-old California man 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 criminal offenses in a restricted area of an airport and theft.
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 spend weeks without being detected. It’s really remarkable that on this day and age and security, this has happened.”
On Saturday, two United Airlines employees approached Singh and asked for his identification. He displayed a badge, but in fact belonged to an operations manager who reported missing on October 26. Employees then called 911.
“A lot of people, no doubt, look back and are embarrassed, gatekeepers, who have probably seen this individual,” Schwieterman said.
Singh said he managed to survive by receiving food from other passengers.
“There is no real safety risk here, this is good news,” Schwieterman added. “It just shows how different parties can not talk to each other, ask each other questions.”
The Chicago Aviation Department, which oversees the city’s airports, issued the following statement regarding the incident:
“The CDA has no higher priority than the safety and security of our airports, which is maintained by a coordinated and multi-layered law enforcement network. While this incident remains under investigation, we have been able to establish that this gentleman has not submitted a “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners on a thorough investigation into this issue.”