Quote:A California man was discovered hiding out for three months in a secured area of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport because he was afraid to fly due to Covid-19, say prosecutors.

Aditya Singh arrived at O’Hare on a flight from Los Angeles on October 19 and ever since has allegedly lived in the airport’s security zone without detection, reports the Chicago Tribune.

On Saturday afternoon, two United Airlines employees approached Aditya Singh, 36, of California, and asked to see his identification. Prosecutors say Singh showed an airport ID badge that he was wearing around his neck. The badge had been reported missing on October 26, 2020, by an O’Hare airport operations manager. The United Airlines employees called 911.

In bond court on Sunday, Singh was charged with criminal trespass to a restricted area of an airport and misdemeanor theft. Under Illinois state law, it is a Class 4 felony to enter or remain in a restricted area while improperly wearing the identification of an airport or airline employee.

“So if I understand you correctly, you’re telling me that an unauthorized, nonemployee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O’Hare airport terminal from October 19, 2020, to January 16, 2021, and was not detected? I want to understand you correctly,” asked an incredulous Cook County Circuit Judge Susana L. Ortiz.

Hagerty told the court that Singh had allegedly found the employee badge in the airport and was “scared to go home due to Covid.” She told the judge that other passengers had been giving Singh food. It was not clear why Singh was in Chicago.