Man allegedly lived in Chicago airport's secure area for 3 months
He told police he was afraid to fly due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A man allegedly lived undetected inside the secure area of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for three months, living off of food provided to him by strangers, before he was arrested this weekend.
"While this incident remains under investigation, we have been able to determine that this gentleman did not pose a security risk to the airport or to the traveling public," the Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement Monday. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners on a thorough investigation of this matter."
Singh was discovered after two United Airlines employees approached him and asked to see his identification, according to the Chicago Tribune, who first reported the incident. Hagerty said he showed them an airport ID badge that had been reported missing in October.
“So if I understand you correctly,” Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz was reported saying in court Sunday, “you’re telling me that an unauthorized, non-employee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O’Hare airport terminal from Oct. 19, 2020, to Jan. 16, 2021, and was not detected? I want to understand you correctly.”
Singh was charged with impersonation in a restricted area of the airport and theft of less than $500, according to a police statement sent to ABC News.
ABC News has reached out to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.