Feds: Man in May Albany airport security breach intended to stowaway on plane

Stan D. Johnson - Credit: Albany County Sheriff's Office, File

ALBANY – A Bronx man caught in May after authorities said he broke through an Albany International Airport fence, got onto a runway and even into an unoccupied plane’s cockpit is described in a new federal indictment as intending to stowaway on the plane.

Stan D. Johnson, 23, of the Bronx, was initially charged locally with two trespass misdemeanors related to the incident.

Federal authorities have since taken the case and prosecutors Wednesday announced a new federal indictment against the man charging him with unlawfully entering an aircraft and airport area in violation of security requirements.

GAZETTE COVERAGE

Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/Subscribe

If convicted, the charge carries a maximum possible term of 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

The incident happened early on May 24 at the airport.

Albany County Sheriff’s deputies first responded to the airport that morning at around 3:25 a.m. for reports of a person on the secure side of the airport without authorization, sheriff’s officials said then. Airport deputies and TSA agents then located Johnson, officials said.

Further investigation revealed that Johnson got in by breaching an airport security fence, officials said then.

After breaching the fence, Johnson walked through the runway area until he entered a jet way bridge. He then got into the unoccupied aircraft‘s cockpit, officials said. A release did not describe the aircraft further, but the new indictment described it as an American Eagle plane.

Johnson then left the aircraft and went up the jet way, into the Gate 11 boarding area of Concourse B, where he was stopped by the agent, officials said.

Johnson was released on the May local charges. The new indictment is dated in August. He was then arrested in October in Southern Texas and ordered held on bond, records show.

Johnson was then returned to New York and arraigned Wednesday. He was ordered detained pending trial.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and the Transportation Security Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping.