CHICAGO – A California man who told police that the coronavirus pandemic made him afraid to fly was arrested on charges that he hid in a safe area at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for three months.
Aditya Singh, 36, is accused of criminal intrusion into a restricted area of an airport and misdemeanor theft after being arrested on Saturday. At a hearing on Sunday, a judge ruled that the man in Orange, California, could be released if he paid $ 1,000, but said Singh was prohibited from setting foot at the airport.
On Monday morning, Singh stayed at Cook County Jail.
Assistant public defender Courtney Smallwood said Singh has no criminal record. She also said it is not clear why Singh, who is unemployed, came to Chicago or if he has ties to the region.
During the hearing, assistant prosecutor Kathleen Hagerty said Singh was located by two United Airlines employees, who asked him for identification, the Chicago Tribune reported. Singh lowered his mask and showed a badge that actually belonged to an airport operations manager who reported his disappearance in late October, Hagerty said.
The officials called the police, who took Singh into custody. Singh was “afraid to return home because of Covid,” said Hagerty, and told authorities that he had found the badge and that other passengers at the airport had given him food.
Before bailing Singh, Cook County judge Susana Ortiz was clearly concerned that someone could remain in a safe area for so long at the airport without anyone noticing.
“The court finds these facts and circumstances quite shocking for the alleged period of time that this occurred,” said the judge. “Being in a protected part of the airport with a fake ID badge, supposedly, based on the need for airports to be absolutely safe so that people feel safe to travel, I think these alleged actions make it a danger to the community.
Singh is due to return to court on January 27.