Homeless man hijacked a private jet to prove his point: what was his message?
![Homeless man hijacked a private jet to prove his point](https://i.sspdaily.com/news/2024/3/18/stolenplanecrash45614.jpeg?size=355x198)
In California, the United States, a homeless man hijacked a small private plane to prove his point about safety.
SSPDaily tells about it.
Luis Aires, 50, was arrested on February 8 at about 17:00 after he hijacked a plane from Palo Alto Airport and flew it for 40 km.
After some time, the man was forced to land on the beach of Half Moon Bay, causing the plane to overturn and touch the ground with its nose. The vessel was not seriously damaged.
After his arrest, Aires told investigators that he stole the plane, worth $150,000, to "show the government that airports don't have adequate security," the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office said.
Luis was able to gain access to the plane without a key after he crawled through a gap in the airport fence. Aires told investigators that he learned to fly in his native Brazil.
During the arrest, the man was found to have identity documents of three other people. He was charged with identity theft and hijacking an airplane. However, he pleaded not guilty.
His bail was set at $10,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the end of February.