Police: Man who died at airport during apparent stowaway attempt was homeless
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A man who died at Honolulu's airport after an apparent stowaway attempt has been identified, but his name hasn't been released.
Police said the man was homeless, and was apparently trying to stowaway on a plane bound for Japan.
He had last been arrested in December for trespassing.
The man's name wasn't released, as authorities are still trying to notify his family.
The man's mangled body was found on the east end of the reef runway just before noon Saturday.
It was closed for several hours as investigators examined the evidence in the crime scene that spanned about 800 feet.
Surveillance video shows an object tumbling down the runway about the same time a Delta Airlines plane was taking off.
The man, whose identity has not be released, was likely a stowaway. Sources say he could have been hiding in the wheel well of the plane.
State Sen. Will Espero, vice chairman of the Transportation Committee, is now asking airport officials for an explanation on the security breach.
"That easily could have been a terrorist. That could have been somebody who had malicious motives," Espero said. "It's all about security and where was that weakness or gap in our system. We need a lot more information."
Tim Sakahara, spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, issued the following statement to Hawaii News Now:
HDOT is working with federal agencies to determine the facts regarding the body discovered on the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Reef Runway (26L) on Saturday, January 13, 2018. There are a lot of factors to be determined in the ongoing investigation regarding the incident and we are not able to comment on speculation. Safety is our top priority and we will respond appropriately depending on the investigation results.
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