Authorities are searching for the man who attempted to steal a private airplane at the Bay Area airport.
Jared Ostello, a pilot and aircraft technician, claims that on Sunday morning while working on aircraft at the Sonoma County Airport, his peaceful day was abruptly interrupted by some unanticipated turbulence.
Ostello claims that as he was close to the tarmac, he observed a man suddenly emerge and leap into the airplane.
“After he shut the door, I watched as each light turned on in turn. I knew I had to go do something with this guy at that point. Ostello remarked, “I have to get him off this plane before he destroys it.”
According to Ostello, the unnamed individual only needed to press one button to effectively turn on the aircraft.Ostello claims that he was able to extract the man from the aircraft by acting swiftly.
He said that after a brief moment of standing, the man took off down the runway in the direction of a hangar containing dozens of other aircraft.
“Oh no,” I thought. “Oh no,” remarked Ostello, “I intended him to run the other way, but he just started running in the direction of the airplane.
The man attempted to take a second jet after arriving at the hangar.
Robert Nicolas, Ostello’s supervisor, owned this one.
Ostello, who had been pursuing the man, stopped him once more.
At the airport, Ostello summoned the police, but not before the man fled.
“He had his eyes on the clouds. He was grunting, sniffing. According to Ostello, “He just kind of stood there for a second before just taking off running.”
According to airport officials who spoke to ABC7 News, they think the suspect entered the property through a gap in a chain link fence that has been undergoing repairs for the past few weeks.
“This was a transient problem. To ensure that it won’t be a problem, the fence will be completely renovated in the upcoming two weeks. Additionally, we patrol the land and its perimeter on a frequent basis,” Sonoma County Airport Manager Jon Stout stated.
According to Nicolas, the airport is not to fault for what transpired.
He does, however, give Ostello credit for acting to avert a possible catastrophe.
“The man had the master on and had pushed the fuel and throttle ahead. He very likely would have damaged the engine to the tune of $300,000 if he had struck the starter,” Robert Nicholas said.
The public is being asked to assist the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in their efforts to locate and identify the man.
Ostello is simply relieved that no one was harmed and that he will still be able to fly the planes.
“I simply knew that I needed to take action, so I did. He remarked, “I think I did the best thing I could do.”
