LOS ANGELES, CA – A 26-year-old Delta Air Lines passenger has been charged with felony vehicle theft and vandalism after he allegedly left a terminal gate at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, took an airplane tug on the airfield and crashed it into another vehicle, according to airport officials.
Skyler Jay Barr, 26, of Everett, Washington, was waiting for a Delta flight to Seattle when the incident began around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to the airport. He was arrested the same evening and charged Thursday, Oct. 8.
The charges are vehicle theft and vandalism, both felonies, and misdemeanor trespass at an airport security inspection. An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process.
Passenger left terminal through Gate 12
A John Wayne Airport spokesperson said Barr breached Gate 12 at the terminal and reached the airfield. Airport officials described the exit as an access door.
At the time, Barr was a Delta passenger with a flight to Seattle. Airport officials said he went from the terminal onto the airfield, where aircraft and ground vehicles operate.
Tug taken and crashed near Gate 7
According to airport officials, Barr took a tug owned by Alliance Ground International, known as AGI, that was assigned to Alaska Airlines. The airport said he crashed the tug into another vehicle near Gate 7.
The airport described the vehicle as an AGI tug assigned to Alaska Airlines, and said the crash happened by Gate 7, a short distance from the gate where he left the terminal.
Lavatory truck attempt ends in arrest
After the crash, Barr allegedly tried to take an American Airlines lavatory service truck, airport officials said. He was stopped and arrested by Airport Police Services.
Airport Police Services is the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s airport bureau. The department’s page says the bureau provides law enforcement services and security for visitors and residents of Orange County on the publicly owned property at John Wayne Airport.
Hospital evaluation and county jail
Barr was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the arrest. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified him Oct. 7 and said he was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, trespassing and vandalism.
The department said he remained in Orange County jail as of Oct. 7. A motive for taking the tug has not been reported.
Felony and misdemeanor counts filed
The vehicle theft and vandalism counts are felonies. The trespass count, which involves an airport security inspection, is a misdemeanor.
The charges were filed Thursday, two days after the incident. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
Gate 7 closed about 10 minutes
Airport officials said there were no impacts to airline operations. Gate 7 was closed for about 10 minutes.
John Wayne Airport served 961,634 passengers in December 2025, up 2.1% from December 2024, according to the airport’s monthly statistics report. The same report lists a 2025 year-to-date total of 11,369,865 passengers and 319,042 aircraft operations.
Equipment owned by three companies
The airport spokesperson said the tug was assigned to Alaska Airlines and belongs to AGI. The lavatory service truck Barr allegedly tried to take belongs to American Airlines.
Barr was a Delta passenger, and the airport’s account does not place any of the three carriers at the center of the case beyond the equipment and ticket involved.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Airport Police Services.
Case moves through criminal court
Barr faces two felony counts and one misdemeanor count. An arraignment date had not been made public as of Friday, Oct. 9.
The prosecution of the charges remains pending in Orange County.
