American Killed When He Jumps Into Jet’s Engine
An American tourist was killed after throwing himself into the engine of a taxiing jetliner at Piarco International Airport, police said.
Airports Authority chief Winston Suite said the bizarre death Sunday night was an apparent suicide.
Police said Daniel John O’Brien, 31, of Roselle, Ill., scaled an airport wall in the nude, attacked four security guards and stole their four-wheel-drive vehicle.
He drove the jeep onto the tarmac to a British Airways 747 that was readying for takeoff, smashing the vehicle’s top. Guards said O’Brien scrambled out of the wreckage, smeared grease on his bleeding shoulder, then ran back to the jetliner and threw himself into the engine.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
