Intruder arrested on San Jose airport grounds

A man was arrested and cited for trespassing at Mineta San Jose International Airport late Thursday after he was seen walking on airport property, according to San Jose police.

Jose Mendoza, 40, was spotted by a security guard walking around 11:50 p.m. on a ground vehicle road on the airside, according to police. When the guard tried to stop him, Mendoza ran away and tried to climb a perimeter fence to get to the street, police said.

Mendoza was injured while climbing, however, and police and the airport security guard were able to take him into custody. He was admitted to a hospital for treatment. Police cited him on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing and released him.

The airport experienced a series of security breaches last year, including two successful stowaways. In April, a 15-year-old Santa Clara boy snuck into the airport and stowed away in the wheel well of a plane headed to Maui. The boy, who was running away from home, survived the 5-1/2 hour trip and was discovered after the plane landed in Hawaii.

In August, Marilyn Hartman, a woman who has repeatedly stowed away and attempted to stow away on Bay Area airline flights, was able to board a plane in San Jose and fly to Los Angeles without a boarding pass.

And in November, Miguel Zaragoza was stopped while allegedly trespassing on the Atlantic Aviation ramp at the airport. When airport employees took him to a lobby to await police, he allegedly fled from them, stole a city maintenance truck and drove through the airport before he was apprehended.

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