HOUSTON — A man who was arrested after authorities said he was found hiding in the landing gear of an airplane remained in jail on Wednesday night.
Jehffrey Gutirres, 26, was arrested Saturday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Officials said he was hiding on an American Airlines plane, putting 166 passengers at risk. A judge set his bond at $1 million, which is higher than the state requested.
An airport spokesperson said he jumped the fence to get in. They said they're beefing up security in the wake of the incident.
A pilot who was performing pre-flight checks found Gutirres. The plane had to be de-boarded, resulting in delays and interruptions to airport operations in the middle of the busy Memorial Day weekend.
It's not the first time Gutirres had been arrested for trespassing at the airport. According to court records, he was also found hiding in the landing gear of another American Airlines flight in 2021. That plane was arriving in Miami from Guatemala.
Officials said that's how Gutirres got to the United States. It's unclear how he got to Houston.
According to court records, on Jan. 11, Gutirres was arrested for trespassing at Cypress Falls High School
On April 27, he was arrested at Bush Airport. After that arrest, he was required to wear an ankle monitor.
But, on May 17, a week before the most recent incident, he was arrested again at IAH.
According to jail records, Gutirres is homeless and was being evaluated for mental illness.
Full AA statement: "The safety of our customers and crew is always our number one priority. As this is a law enforcement matter, we refer you to them for additional information."