A 45-year-old man has been charged with two counts of felony vandalism and one of trespassing on an airfield after a pickup truck drove through a locked gate at Van Nuys Airport and rammed a Mooney parked on the ramp. In a statement, Van Nuys Airport spokesman Diana Sanchez said the incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. Friday. Jesus Ortega, the alleged driver of the truck, was arrested on the airport. The airport, which is one of the busiest GA airports in the U.S., was closed briefly but only one flight had to be diverted. Extent of the damage to the Mooney wasn’t detailed in the statement.
The truck entered the airport at a gate on the east side of the airport, ripping the gate from its hinges. With a couple of airport employees in pursuit, the truck crossed active runways before ending up on a ramp where the driver stopped, put the vehicle in reverse, and backed into the Mooney. Police and fire crews arrived a short time later and the suspect was arrested. The incident is not terrorism-related, according to the airport statement.
