Philadelphia Man Who Bypassed Airport Security Checkpoint and Unlawfully Boarded a Flight Sentenced

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jonathan “Jon” Beaulieu, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey to one year of probation and restitution in the amount of $59,143 for entering an airport area in violation of security requirements.

Beaulieu was charged by information in January of this year and pleaded guilty in February.

As detailed in court filings and statements in court, on June 26, 2024, at approximately 12:12 a.m., witness J.M. was working as a security guard at Philadelphia International Airport. She was assigned to the Terminal C exit lane to prevent unauthorized people from entering what’s known as the airport’s “sterile area” – the terminals beyond the TSA security checkpoint.

At that time, the defendant approached the exit lane and stated that he left his phone in the airport and needed to retrieve it. J.M. called police dispatch and told them that Beaulieu was trying to get into the airport to get his phone. After the dispatcher informed the witness that the police couldn’t look for Beaulieu’s phone, he started to walk past the witness into the airport. The witness repeatedly told Beaulieu that he could not enter the airport.

Beaulieu then dropped a $50 bill onto the witness’s desk and asked her if that would get him into the airport. J.M. left the bill on the desk and again told Beaulieu that he could not enter the airport’s sterile area. She called the police again and informed dispatch that Beaulieu was now attempting to go around her and into the airport.

After a few minutes of arguing with the witness, Beaulieu walked around her, entered the airport’s sterile area, and walked away. J.M. called the police, informed dispatch that there was a security breach, and described Beaulieu. The flash information was broadcast over police radio and officers started searching the terminals.

Airport security personnel checking the facility’s cameras saw that Beaulieu had boarded a plane at Gate A-20. Upon responding to the gate, Philadelphia police found that the plane doors were closed and the plane was preparing for departure. The captain of the plane was then informed that there was a passenger aboard who had bypassed security, and the plane returned to the gate. All passengers were removed and Beaulieu was located and arrested. Due to the boarding of an unscreened passenger, the entire plane had to be searched, resulting in the flight’s cancellation. American Airlines reported that the cost of the flight cancellation was $59,143.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everett Witherell.