Man lived inside airport for 3 months allegedly out of fear of COVID-19

Rows of United Airlines check-in counters at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on June 25, 2020 (Image: AP/Teresa Crawford)       

A man lived undetected inside a secured area at the O’Hare International Airport in Illinois, USA, for months allegedly out of fear of COVID-19.

Before his arrest, 36-year-old Aditya Singh had been living inside the Chicago airport since he arrived from Los Angeles on Oct. 19, as per Chicago Tribune on Jan. 17.

Singh, who stayed at the airport’s security zone for around three months, has since been charged with felony criminal trespass and misdemeanor theft.

Last Saturday afternoon, Jan. 16, two United Airlines employees approached Singh and asked for his ID, the report said. He then showed them an airport ID badge, which belonged to an operations manager who reported the ID missing on Oct. 26.

The employees then called the police, and Singh was taken into custody shortly after.

Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Hagerty said Singh was quoted as saying that he was “scared to go home due to COVID,” and that he was able to survive because other passengers were giving him food.

Singh, who has no criminal background, lives with roommates in Orange, California, and has a master’s degree in hospitality but is currently unemployed, the report said. It was unclear why he was in Chicago.

Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz has barred Singh from entering the airport again as a condition of bail, which was set at $1,000. He is set to appear in court again on Jan. 27.

Despite the nonviolent nature of the crime, the judge acknowledged that the circumstances of Singh’s trespassing at a secured area and the time span of three months that he stayed at the airport “make[s] him a danger to the community.” Ian Biong /ra

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