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Homeless Man Boards Private Jet At Van Nuys Airport, Causes $5K In Damage
At about 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, a homeless man climbed aboard a Gulfstream G4 private jet parked at Van Nuys airport and lit a cigarette. The man entered the airport through a vehicular entrance by following a maintenance car through the unguarded gate, according to the Daily News.
The driver of the vehicle noticed the man, and confronted him about his unauthorized entry. When asked about whether or not he was supposed to be there, 25-year-old Chris Tolbert replied simply that he was indeed supposed to be there, and that he "owned the airport."
Airport police were summoned, and by the time they found Tolbert he had taken refuge inside the $41 million executive aircraft. The plane was parked inside of an airport hanger, close to the intersection of Woodley Avenue and Saticoy Street, according to City News Service.
Upon police confrontation, Tolbert unsuccessfully extinguished the cigarette in a bandana he brought aboard. The resulting smoke and smoldering caused a reported $5,000 worth of damage to interior cabin of the (again) $41 million private jet.
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As the Daily News tells us, Tolbert was arrested on both suspicion of trespassing and vandalism. Tolbert is also said to suffer from an unspecified type of mental illness.
Late in 2015, three private jets were graffiti tagged at the airport as well.
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