Man responsible for hourslong Sky Harbor shutdown issued $52 citation

PHOENIX — The man who abandoned a vehicle at Phoenix Sky Harbor’s largest terminal on Sunday, causing an hourslong shutdown and leading to hundreds of flight delays, was issued a citation, police announced.

Sgt. Tommy Thompson with the Phoenix Police Department told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday that the 29-year-old man, who was not identified, was given a $52 citation for prohibited parking. He was also ordered to pay $75 in towing fees. No other charges were being sought against the man.

Thompson said the man was dropping off his girlfriend at the airport when he left the vehicle in a restricted, no parking area at the second-level drop off area in Terminal 4. The vehicle, a rented 2018 Nissan sedan, was left unattended around 6:30 a.m.

Thompson said police noticed the vehicle shortly after it was left in the area and immediately began following security protocols. Those protocols resulted in calling the Phoenix Police Department bomb squad, which led to evacuating the east side of the pre-security area, closing three of four security checkpoints and halting Sky Train service to the terminal.

The man was located a “significant period of time” after the vehicle was found unattended, Thompson said.

Thompson said the man will receive a citation from the Phoenix Police Department but did not provide more details. The department also submitted a report to the Transportation Security Administration for “review and possible civil penalties.”

Heather Lissner, a spokeswoman with the airport, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that employees are instructed to call police if a driver leaves a vehicle unattended along a terminal curb. According to airport policy, the vehicle is impounded and towed if it is left for about 15 minutes. The driver then has to pay an impound fee to get the car back.

Airport officials announced in a tweet around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday that part of the terminal was evacuated while “police check out something as a precaution.”

More than 300 flights were delayed and dozens were canceled. The airlines that were affected by the incident were Air Canada, American, British Airways, Southwest Airlines, Volaris, West Jet and Condor.

The terminal resumed to normal operations just after 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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